The Miracle of Green Tea
Is any other food or drink re****ted to have as many health benefits as
green tea? The Chinese have known about the medicinal benefits of
green tea since ancient times, using it to treat everything from
headaches to depression. In her book Green Tea: The Natural Secret
for a Healthier Life, Nadine Taylor states that green tea has been
used as a medicine in China for at least 4,000 years.
Today, scientific research in both Asia and the west is providing hard
evidence for the health benefits long associated with drinking green
tea. For example, in 1994 the Journal of the National Cancer Institute
published the results of an epidemiological study indicating that
drinking green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese
men and women by nearly sixty percent. University of Purdue
researchers recently concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits
the growth of cancer cells. There is also research indicating that
drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as
improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL)
cholesterol.
To sum up, here are just a few medical conditions in which drinking
green tea is reputed to be helpful:
cancer
rheumatoid arthritis
high cholesterol levels
cariovascular disease
infection
impaired immune function
What makes green tea so special?
The secret of green tea lies in the fact it is rich in catechin
polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a
powerful anti-oxidant: besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells,
it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. It has also been
effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the
abnormal formation of blood clots. The latter takes on added
im****tance when you consider that thrombosis (the formation of
abnormal blood clots) is the leading cause of heart attacks and
stroke.
Links are being made between the effects of drinking green tea and the
"French Paradox." For years, researchers were puzzled by the fact
that, despite consuming a diet rich in fat, the French have a lower
incidence of heart disease than Americans. The answer was found to lie
in red wine, which contains resveratrol, a polyphenol that limits the
negative effects of smoking and a fatty diet. In a 1997 study,
researchers from the University of Kansas determined that EGCG is
twice as powerful as resveratrol, which may explain why the rate of
heart disease among Japanese men is quite low, even though
approximately seventy-five percent are smokers.
Why don't other Chinese teas have similar health-giving properties?
Green, oolong, and black teas all come from the leaves of the Camellia
sinensis plant. What sets green tea apart is the way it is processed.
Green tea leaves are steamed, which prevents the EGCG compound from
being oxidized. By contrast, black and oolong tea leaves are made from
fermented leaves, which results in the EGCG being converted into other
compounds that are not nearly as effective in preventing and fighting
various diseases.
Other Benefits
New evidence is emerging that green tea can even help dieters. In
November, 1999, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published
the results of a study at the University of Geneva in Switzerland.
Researchers found that men who were given a combination of caffeine
and green tea extract burned more calories than those given only
caffeine or a placebo.
Green tea can even help prevent tooth decay! Just as its bacteria-
destroying abilities can help prevent food poisoning, it can also kill
the bacteria that causes dental plaque. Meanwhile, skin preparations
containing green tea - from deodorants to creams - are starting to
appear on the market.
Harmful Effects?
To date, the only negative side effect re****ted from drinking green
tea is insomnia due to the fact that it contains caffeine. However,
green tea contains less caffeine than coffee: there are approximately
thirty to sixty mg. of caffeine in six - eight ounces of tea, compared
to over one-hundred mg. in eight ounces of coffee.
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