Super Foods Blog

The health benefits of green tea

If you happen to be from China, you already know that green tea has amazing health benefits. The Chinese have known about the tea for a very long time. In fact, Chinese herbalists have used this type of tea in the treatment of many conditions, including stomach pains, sleeplessness, depression and headaches.

The scientific studies done today have supported traditional beliefs of Asian medicine. These studies have found secure evidence that drinking green tea has several healthful benefits when drunk routinely. One particular study revealed a sixty percent decrease in cancer of the esophagus in those Chinese people who drank green tea regularly. The study came to the conclusion that there was something in green tea that blocked the growth of cancerous cells.

There has been additional research that shows lowering of the total cholesterol and a shift in the positive direction between HDL and LDL cholesterol. Other things known to be improved by drinking green tea are diseases like cancer, poor immune function, infectious diseases, heart problems and rheumatoid arthritis.

How Green Tea Works

It’s the polyphenols that give green tea its powerful healing abilities. There are many types of polyphenols, the most potent of which is epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). This polyphenol has been found to restrict the growth of cancerous cells and to destroy cancerous cells without killing normal cells. One of the benefits of EGCG is its effectiveness in reducing the LDL cholesterol level; it also appears to inhibit clot formation in the arteries. Experts speculate that this is why green tea is so effective in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

In what is known as the French paradox, scientists have long understood that, in spite of a high fat diet, the French seem to have a lesser degree of cardiovascular disease. They have felt that this is due to all the red wine they drink. As it turns out, red wine has a compound known as resveratrol in it. This compound is also a polyphenols like EGCG. Research studies have shown that ECGC is, in fact, twice as potent as the polyphenols in red wine.

What’s so good about green tea?

Most people don’t realize that green tea, white tea, oolong tea and regular black tea are all derived from the same leaves in the Camellia sinensis plant. What makes the various teas so different from one another is the way the leaves are processed once picked. With green tea, the leaves are steamed gently to minimize loss of the ECGC in the leaves. Black tea and other teas are fermented so that the ECGC is less potent and the tea is less effective.
There is some additional belief that green tea can be useful in weight loss. One particular research study showed that individuals who drank green tea with caffeine used up more calories than those that only drank caffeine.

Tags: green tea