Benefits Of Green Tea

Green Tea has been used for something approaching 4,000 years in China and the Chinese people have been using green tea as a treatment for all sorts of things, from headaches to depression. Presumably in all that time if there had been no effect the the use of green tea would have died out, but it hasn't.

More recently studies have been conducted both in Asia and in the west in an attempt to produce hard evidence of the health benefits of green tea. Back in 1994 an edition of the Journal of National Cancer Institute published the results of an epidemiological study and that 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%.

It turns out that the rich presence of catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in green tea is the reason why it offers so many health benefits. As a powerful antioxidant, EGCG can not only inhibit the growth of cancer cells but also appears to have the effect of destroying them without harming healthy cells.

The University of Purdue has also concluded some research on how a certain compound present in green tea can stop cancer cells from growing.

It has also been said that green tea has the ability to lower cholesterol levels and improve the ratio between good (HDL) cholesterol and bad (LDL) cholesterol. The EGCG in green tea is said to be a health beneficial substance that can reduce LDL cholesterol levels and stop blood from forming abnormal clots (thrombosis), a leading cause of heart attacks and strokes.

Green tea has many more health benefits compared to other Chinese teas such as oolong and black tea, all of which come from the plant Camellia sinensis. The thing that makes green tea different is the process by which it is made. Green tea owes much of its health benefits to how the Camellia sinensis leaves are steamed. This steaming process keeps the EGCG health benefit of green tea from oxidizing. While oolong and black teas have their leaves fermented instead of being steamed, thus causing the EGCG health benefit to transform into another less medicinally potent form.

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 green tea may help people on diets. 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.

Another health benefit of green tea is its bacteria-destroying properties. The health benefit of green tea in this area is that it can help prevent food poisoning and also prevent tooth decay. The substances found in green tea kill the bacteria causing food poisoning and those that cause dental plaque to form.

There are many people who see green tea as a miricle cure all and it seems to be very popular and has been for thousands of years. One more benefit is that it is a refreshing drink so why not make it part of your daily routine and see if you feel any benefit yourself?