What's In Your Drink: Benefits Of Green Tea

By Yuri Elkaim, BPHE, CK, RHN

Asia has a long history with green tea, and not just because it tastes great. For thousands of years, green tea’s powerful healing properties have helped treat health problems like headaches and infections. Green tea carries a multitude of scientific evidence backing its ability to reduce symptoms of disease and prevent illness.  However, green tea is just for those who are ill. Its cleansing power heals several health problems.

What does green tea contain?
Tea comes in three main varieties – black, green, and oolong. The difference in tea is not the actual leaf itself, but the way it is processed. Green tea is produced from unfermented leaves which reported contain a high concentration of powerful antioxidants called polyphenols.

Polyphenols neutralize free radicals – damaging compounds in the body that wreak havoc on cells and tamper with DNA. Many scientists believe that free radicals, either naturally occurring or those found in environmental toxins, contribute the aging process as well as the development of a number of health issues.

The most effective polyphenol in green tea is catechin. The most powerful catechin, EGCG, is found in green and proven 100 times more powerful than vitamin C and E. A single cup of green tea provides you with 10 to 40 milligrams of polyphenols, having a greater antioxidant effect than a serving of spinach, carrots, strawberries, or broccoli.

What are the health benefits of green tea?
Due to the lack of fermentation, green tea preserves a high amount of catechins. The potency of catechins eliminates free radicals, which aids in the prevention of cancer by blocking harmful agents that cause cancer. The potent antioxidants in green tea also fight signs of aging, giving you a more youthful, radiant appearance.

Green tea also collects and blocks cholesterol, decrease the levels in your blood while preventing build up of bad cholesterol and narrowing of blood vessels. Consumption of these antioxidants helps prevent heart disease, stroke, arterial sclerosis, and thrombosis.

Consuming green tea is highly effective on reducing high blood pressure as well as diabetes prevention.  It’s proven effects to fight bacteria and viruses known to cause illnesses such as influenza, periodontal disease, and food poisoning.

Can green tea help me lose weight?
A study by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that green tea can significantly increase energy expenditure, providing you with a great boost in metabolism. It is likely this occurs because catechins intensify levels of fat oxidation and thermogenesis.

Catechins also restrict the movement of glucose into fat cells and slow the rise of blood sugar after meals. Essentially, drinking green tea prevents spikes in insulin and the subsequent fat storage caused from these spikes.

How much green tea should I consume each day?
This varies depending upon the vehicle used to ingest green tea. If you take it in the form of extract, usually dosed in 350mg, take 1 pill 3 to 4 times per day. Make sure to drink plenty of water throughout your day.

When drinking green tea, 3 to 6 cups a day will help prevent disease, fight of signs of aging, and may promote healthy weight loss.

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