Green Tea – Health Benefits

Studies convey that India and China were using the boiled tea leaves for more than five thousand years. They were among the first countries for the consumption of teas.

In the tradition of Japan also tea is very fundamental. Tea comes in the cultural aspect of the countries in Asia.

Tea is usually provided from Camellia Sinensis – a tea plant cultivated mostly in Middle East Asia and Africa.

The three main categories of tea are black tea, green tea and oolong tea. Though all these categories are derived from the same plant, the method of processing makes them different to each other. Green tea is the category which does not go through the process of fermentation. Oolong tea is gone through partial fermentation where as black tea is completely fermented. Asian nations like China, India, Japan, Thailand etc mostly use green tea and oolong tea. In the US, black tea is commonly used.

Green tea has become much popular these days as it has got numerous good aspects on the health. Several researches held to know about this aspect, reveals that consuming green tea can prevent or reduce several diseases.

Green tea is useful for reducing the risk of cancer, reducing the bad cholesterol in the body, inflammatory diseases, flatulence, regulating the bowel activities, balancing the sugar level in the blood, increasing thermo genesis, etc.

Generally in France, the diet of the people is very rich in the fat consumption aspects. Studies show that they have less heart problems still due to the regular intake of green tea. Japanese people are heavy smokers, but they too have less heart problems due to the use of green tea.

Green tea contains some poly phenols which work as antioxidants. These antioxidants always act against certain free radicals formed inside the body. The free radicals are formed naturally and can increase due to the pollution, smoking, UV rays etc. Black tea contains only 10% polyphenols where as green tea has 30 to 40% polyphenols.

Usually an adult is preferred to have three or four cups of green tea a day.

The advantages of green tea on our health aspects:

1.      The regular consumers of green tea have less amount of bad cholesterol in the body and have more good cholesterol too. Some researches held in some animals say that poly phenols can reduce the intestine’s absorption of cholesterol and also boosts the emission of cholesterol from the body.

2.      Green teas effect to reduce the risk of cancer on Japanese people has not proved scientifically. But some researches reveal that the poly phenols can definitely reduce the cancer cells.

3.      Some researches reveal that polyphenols also reduce Type-1 diabetes. It helps to decrease the production of insulin for this and helps to make a balance to the glucose level in the blood.

4.      Green tea is good for liver too. It can decrease the risk of diseases caused by alcohol consumption and also the problems due to that. The people who use green tea regularly can prevent the liver problems or diseases.

5.      The polyphenols in the green tea can help us to reduce the weight of the body, though it is not proved scientifically. So it is also used in several weight loss products.

For a few people, some safety measures should be considered for the consumption of green tea. Those who have serious health problems should not use green tea. This includes ulcer, heart diseases, mental disorders etc. Ladies who are pregnant are not recommended the consumption of green tea. Those who are having regular medications like antibiotics, weight losing supplements, beta blockers, oral contraceptives, lithium, etc should never consume green tea with this as it can reduce or nullify the effect of these medicines. Sometimes green tea can also have some side effects when used along with these medications.

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Overweight is one of biggest health problems in the US. Being overweight can lead to many health problems – diabetes, stroke, heart disease, arthritis, cancer, hypertension and fatigue. If you are overweight, then losing weight is great way to prevent some of the health problems. Green tea helps you lose weight and this is healthy weight loss. Besides the weight loss benefit, there are other health benefits of green tea.
There are many fad diets, weight loss pills, low carb diets. Most of the times this will help you lose weight fast but you gain weight after a certain period of time. Green tea weight loss is safe. Decaffeinated green tea does not have the health benefits as the regular one because the process of removing caffeine involves a chemical process and this destroys the health benefits.
Origins of Green tea
Historically, the Chinese have been using green tea as medicinal drink. The general consensus is that Chinese Emperor Shen Nung discovered green tea when he was boiling water and leaves from a tree fell into the pot! Green tea comes from the plant called Carmellia Sinensis.
The green tea has the health benefits because of the way it is processed. Green tea is steamed while processing and thus preserving its natural antioxidants. The black tea processing involves full oxidation and thus does not have the health benefits of the green tea. Both green tea and black tea still have the caffeine so if you are consuming this at night, then this will keep you awake. Caffeine can be harmful for the body since an excess of it can cause heart palpitations, hypertension, and insomnia. Because green tea diets contain only very low levels of caffeine, there is no danger of experiencing these side-effects.
Health Benefits of Green Tea
1. It prevents Cancer. Green tea contains catechin polyphenols especially epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG. This is a powerful antioxidant that is known to not only destroy cancer cells but also prevent cancer. The latest studies on green tea were able to prove that green tea diet can effectively protect the skin from damage due to ultraviolet light radiation. Green tea is also widely recognized as a substance that can protect against different types of cancers such as stomach cancer, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, oral cancer, cancer of the colon, breast and cervical cancers.
2. EGCG reduces LDL cholesterol (the harmful cholesterol). This prevents the blood from forming clots, which is a leading cause of heart attacks! The study on green tea diets was conducted in China using 240 people with high cholesterol levels as volunteers. They were placed on a green tea diet of one capsule (equivalent to seven cups of green tea) or were given one placebo every day. After twelve weeks, those who were on a green tea diet dropped sixteen percent in their cholesterol levels.
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3. The weight loss (or fat loss) is because EGCG in green tea diet increases the 24-hour energy expenditure of the body. A research on green tea diets conducted by American and Swiss scientists in the University of Geneva showed an additional increase of four percent in the body’s natural energy expenditure. People who were on a green tea diet were more likely to use up more fats than those not on a green tea diet.
4. Green tea can also be a potential cure to obesity. The catechin polyphenols present in green tea diets can delay the reaction of gastric and pancreatic lipases in the body. These enzymes convert calories in the body into fats. By delaying this enzymatic activity, green tea diets can prevent fat from being stored and hence prevent obesity.
As mentioned earlier, green tea contains caffeine that makes it a mild an appetite-suppressant. However, caffeine content in green tea diets is not as high as those found in other caffeine-based beverages, like coffee. In conclusion, green tea has many health benefits including weight loss and fat loss. This method is proven and is natural. There are variations of green diets like the green tea pills, green tea capsules, green tea patches etc. These make it convenient for you to carry them while traveling and could be more concentrated. If possible, try to consume green as a drink.

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What are the health benefits of green tea pills? They may be numerous, but consumers need to use caution when they are shopping for supplements, of any kind. Here’s why.

Plants and botanicals can be contaminated with herbicides, pesticides, lead, mercury and other harmful chemicals. Even some of the beverages on the market are known to contain benzene, a cancer-causing chemical, due to the combination of sodium benzoate, a preservative, and vitamin C.

Manufactures of foods and supplements should be required to test each raw ingredient for contaminants and test the completed batch. Before they are released to the consumer, but judging by the number of recalls that occurs every year, most of them don’t test, ahead of time.

The health benefits of green tea pills, one of which is to help prevent cancer, would be negated if the plant or the final product contained carcinogens. So, your first step is to check out the manufacturer. Find out what efforts they make to guarantee purity. They should also be testing for potency.

The antioxidant content of plants from the same species varies greatly. Antioxidants form as the plants are exposed to viruses, fungi, UV rays from the sun, insects and other environmental factors that could damage the plant. The antioxidants in green teas are called catechins.

There is no way to determine how many catechins are in a plant without testing. The manufacturer should list the amount of catechins on the bottle, not just the amount of the extract that is in each capsule.

The next thing that consumers need to remember is that “more” is not necessarily “better”. At high concentrations, the teas can actually cause oxidative stress, just the opposite of what an antioxidant is supposed to do. They can also be toxic to the liver.

To get the health benefits of green tea pills without worrying about “over-dosing”, an appropriate amount is 100mg of a purified extract, with 80% catechin content.

The smart consumer shops for value. Buying numerous single-ingredient supplements can really add up after a while and take a big chunk out of your bank account. There are some excellent multi-nutritional supplements on the market that contain all of your basic vitamins and minerals, along with herbal extracts, amino acids, digestive enzymes and other cofactors that are needed for the body to make use of all of these nutrients.

Some of the health benefits of green tea pills, other than cancer prevention, include maintaining heart and cardiovascular health, increasing the amount of fat that you burn during exercise, improving your sensitivity to insulin, which can help prevent type II diabetes. Many of these things go unnoticed. What most people realize, almost immediately, is that they feel more alert.

The information in this article should help you get the health benefits of green tea pills, without any risk. But, I believe that the best piece of advice is to shop for a supplement that contains a variety of nutrients, rather than just a single ingredient. If you have a minute to spare, please check out my website now.

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For centuries now, many people have held the belief that green tea is beneficial for the body. With scientific research gradually confirming that longstanding concept, green tea is now becoming more and more accepted as an essential part of the daily diet of many people. Here are some of the evidences that illustrate the health benefit of green tea.

The health benefit of green tea is largely due to its abundance of flavonoids, a type of chemical found in all plants that help protect them from damage. Flavonoids are regarded as antioxidants, the major factors why green tea excels in providing health benefits. Flavonoids help prevent cellular damage due to free radicals caused by factors such as pollution, smog and cigarette smoke. Meanwhile, catechins are a type of flavonoids found in green tea. Considered more powerful than vitamins C and E, catechins also have the ability to protect cells from oxidative damage.

Cardiovascular Benefits

One health benefit of green tea is that it lowers the risk of heart diseases. A study has showed that regular green tea drinkers reduced their risks of developing hypertension by 46% – 65% compared to people who did not drink tea. It has been considered that the antioxidant chemicals in green tea are partly the reason for a reduction in heart-related diseases.

Antioxidants have been regarded as a major factor in decreasing the risk of atherosclerosis. By drinking green tea, oxidation of lipid in the blood is prevented. This, in turn, lessens the probability of lipids from sticking to the walls of the artery. Also, another recent study has shown that consuming green tea apparently enhances the function of the lining of the blood vessels. This allows arteries to become more capable of expanding and contracting when they need to. And, the enhanced function also reduces the arteries chances of forming plaques and lesions linked to heart diseases. The antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in green tea also prevents the unnatural formation of blood clots known to cause thrombosis, one of the major causes of heart attacks and strokes.

Decreased Risk of Esophageal Cancer

The health benefit of green tea is also apparent in the recent studies showing that regular consumption of green tea can help in reducing the risks of esophageal cancer by as much as 60%. Research has revealed that the EGCG in green tea suppresses the growth of cancer cells and destroys existing ones without harming the normal and healthy cells.

Weight Loss

Numerous studies suggest that green tea extract has properties that increase metabolism and help burn fat naturally. Researchers think that the high concentrations of catechins in green tea are instrumental in burning fat. These catechins are said to work with other chemicals to quicken the fat oxidation process and thermogenesis, wherein heat is produced in the body through burning of fuels such as fat. One study showed the health benefit of green tea when it was combined with caffeine. The combination caused a significant improvement in weight reduction and maintenance in overweight and moderately obese people.

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Green Tea comes from the plant Camellia Sinensis, and is grown and picked all over the world. There are different green teas, and many originate from China. The secret of the health of tea lies in the way it is processed. Green tea was drunk for medicinal purposes in China, as well as for bringing peace and serenity to body and mind. Western culture has since adopted green tea as a beverage for health and well being. According to studies, green tea may help protect against many health conditions, due to the high level of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants within the leaf. Studies have been conducted that show there are many health benefits from drinking green tea.

Green tea leaves are picked in thousands of acres of lush tea gardens. The gardens are in China, Formosa (an island in Taiwan), Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Japan, India, Kenya and other exotic areas of the world. China is perhaps the largest of green tea producers. There are different types of green teas that come from China. Green teas are distributed flat leafed, whole, in a ball, rolled lengthwise or twisted. Rolled teas, or teas in a ball include Gunpowder and Chun Mee, and are among the more affordable teas. Others include Lung Ching (Dragon’s Well) that helps with tiredness, Gu Zhang Mao Jian, Ping Cha and Xia Zhou Bi Feng. These teas are best drunk in the day and are refreshing and smooth. Higher quality green teas are normally twisted or flat. These tea leaves have a silver color and include the teas Pi Lo Chun, Shi Feng, and Dong Yang Dong Bai. When steeped, the leaves produce a pale green and pale yellow color. All green teas are processed before distribution, however the nutrients are left in the leaves.

The tea leaf from the Camellia Sinensis plant is processed differently for green teas than black teas and oolongs. In green teas, the tea leaves are laid out on mats for steaming. The leaves can also be pan heated or baked. This process prevents fermentation or oxidation (oxygen leaving the leaves). The green color is than left in the leaf, thus keeping all of the nutrients inside the tea. The nutrients consist of the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants in the tea. Vitamins and minerals include: iron, potassium, sodium, carotene, B1, B2, A, D, and Vitamin C. The antioxidants in the tea are actually molecules that co-exist with free radicals. Free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms in the body that, when left unchecked, grow and multiply, causing damage to otherwise healthy cells. Free radicals can cause diseases such as cancer, heart disease, premature aging and other diseases. The antioxidants guard against this damage, and help keep cells healthy.

One such antioxidant is EGCG or epigallocatechin (one of the cathechins) and, according to studies, is one hundred times more powerful than Vitamin C and twenty- five times more powerful than Vitamin E. Other antioxidants include, flavanoids, polyphenols, tannins and theanine. Flavanoids are the bright colored compounds found in fresh fruit and vegetables, and may help fight infections. Polyphenols are phytochemicals found in high amounts within green tea. These phytochemicals help in prevention of diseases like heart disease and cancer. One cup of green tea may possibly provide 10 mg of polyphenols, and has antioxidant levels higher than one serving of spinach, carrots, broccoli, or strawberries. Tannins are a group of flavanoids, phenols and polyphenols compounds found in green tea. Tannins are produced by plants and are resistant to fermentation and digestion. Theanine is an amino acid (building block of protein) that has a tranquilizing effect on the brain. The Japanese green tea Sencha contains theanine. Three to four cups contains 100-200 mg of theanine.

Green tea can help prevent oxidative damage within the body, when taken with a balanced diet. A group of volunteers, according to a study drank two cups of green tea per day, while another group ate their balanced diet, but did not drink the tea. The group who drank the green tea had a large increase in their plasma antioxidant levels, decreased oxidative damage in lymphocytes (white blood cells), and a significant decrease in LDL or bad cholesterol in comparison to the non-tea drinking group. Other health benefits of drinking green tea include: lowering blood pressure, lowering blood sugar, fighting carcinogenic bacteria, reducing tumors and mutations, helping fight headaches, lifting spirits and depression, fighting halitosis (bad breath), and improving digestion.

Written by:

Deidre Bissonette

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For 4,000 years, the Chinese people have been using green tea as treatment for everything from headaches to depression. However, it is only in recent years that the Western world has caught up and realised the heath benefits of drinking green tea.

The benefits of drinking tea and specifically the health benefits of green tea have been the subject of many a test study.  In addition to the claims of green tea being an excellent antioxidant, additional benefits may include the prevention of cancer, protecting your heart, preventing arthritis and protecting your liver.

Preventing Cancer

One health benefit of green tea may be its ability to prevent cancer.  In the 1994 edition of the Journal of National Cancer Institute, the results of an epidemiological study stated that one of the health benefits of drinking green tea is that it can reduce the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by up to 60%. Based on this possible correlation between the regular use of green tea and a lower risk for cancer further research is being undertaken.

Preliminary findings suggest that the health benefits of green tea may prevent cancer in many of the body’s vital organs.  These organs include the urinary bladder, the entire upper and lower digestive tract and pancreas.

Protecting Your Heart

An important health benefit of green tea is the antioxidants found in green tea. These antioxidants have shown promise in reducing levels of cholesterol, minimizing cardiac disease and controlling hypertension.  Specifically, a daily cup of tea, eight and a half ounces, was consumed by those participating in a case study.  After 25 years, participants had fewer incidents of heart attacks compared to those who did not drink the green tea.

Additional studies show that antioxidants were beneficial in minimizing the bonding of blood cells. The implications of this benefit would be the reduction in clotting which is associated with strokes and heart disease.

Preventing Arthritis

Another health benefit of green tea is the possible prevention and soothing of arthritis and its painful symptoms.  Research has shown a strong component of green tea to be its ability to perform as an agent to reduce inflammation.  Certain studies suggest that the antioxidants in green tea delay the arthritic process as well as minimize the painful symptoms of those affected with arthritis. 

Protecting Your Liver

Another health benefit of green tea is the possible protection of your liver.  Preliminary research suggests a strong correlation between the antioxidants found in green tea and the function of the liver.  The liver acts as a filter within the body and rids the body of toxins.  Some of these toxins include the ingredients found in alcohol, the air we breathe, food eaten, water consumed, cigarettes smoked, and so on.  The health benefit of green tea strongly indicates a protection of the cells that comprise the liver as well as stimulating and strengthening the immune system within the body.

Other Health Benefits

Aside from medicinal value, green tea can also offer other health benefits, especially in the fitness field. Drinking green tea can cause a person to burn down more calories. A recent study on the health benefits of green tea shows that the drink can help dieters. According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1999, men who take both caffeine and green tea burn down more calories than men who only take caffeine or a placebo.

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