Green Tea Health Benefits

Healthy ingredients present in green tea:

Catechins (core component) – Cancer properties reduction. Lowers oxidation by active oxygen. Reduces blood cholesterol. Inhibits hypertention. Balances blood sugar. Kills bacteria and virus. Fights cariogenic bacteria.
Prevents halitosis (bad breath).

Flavonoids - Strengthen blood vessel walls. Prevents halitosis (bad breath).

Fluoride - Prevents cavities.

Polysaccharides - Lowers blood sugar.

r-Amino Butyric Acid - Lowers blood pressure .

Vitamin-B Complex - Aids carbohydrate metabolism .

Vitamin-C - Reduces stress. Prevents flu. Increases strength of the immune system

Vitamin-E - Acts as antioxidant. Regulates aging.

And most importantly,
Theanine (amino acid) - Responsible for green tea’s delicious taste

Click on the following green tea properties to learn more

Antioxidant
Recent studies have shown green tea has far greater antioxidant protection than the well known polyphenols in antioxidant vitamins such as C and E.

Although oxygen is necessary for human life, it can be a harmful agent in the form of active or free radical oxygen. Active oxygen can combine with anything in the body and oxidize it with consequent destruction of cell membranes, damage to DNA, and oxidation of lipids (fats). All of these can lead to cancer.

So how can we prevent all of this unnecessary oxygen? The simple answer is by drinking green tea. The antioxidant properties of green tea have been shown to efficiently scavenge these toxins. Green tea's antioxidant activity is particularly important for preventing lipid peroxidation. Lipid peroxidation is a factor in the spoilage of oils and fatty constituents of foods. This spoilage often plays a key role in the build up of atherosclerotic plaque. The antioxidant properties of green tea help prevent this spoilage.

Cancer Prevention
Green Tea and Black Tea both come from the same tea plant ( Camelia Sinensis), however in a study comparing green tea to black tea, researchers have found that green tea is 6% more potent as an antioxidant. Michael Murry, M.D. explains this is because "Green tea is produced by lightly steaming the fresh cut black tea leaf. To produce black tea, the leaves are oxidized. During oxidation, many of the polyphenol substances, compounds with potent antioxidant and anticancer properties, are destroyed. Unlike black tea, green tea is very high in polyphenols."

The anticancer effects are the result of green tea polyphenols blocking the formation of cancer causing compounds as well as effectively detoxifying or trapping cancer causing chemicals.

The forms of cancer that green tea show the most aid in preventing are cancers of the gastrointestinal tract such as cancer of the stomach, small intestine, pancreas, and colon. Also, green tea has shown preventative properties for lung cancer and estrogen-related cancers such as most breast cancers. A report from the National Cancer Institute found that Chinese men and women who drink green tea have a reduced risk of developing esophageal skin cancer.

A very detailed, very technical account of polyphenols and flavenoids appears on the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition website.

Cholesterol Reduction
Cholesterol is usually cited as the 'bad guy' for causing various diseases in adults, but it's a chemical that is naturally present and necessary in our bodies for important processes such as manufacturing cell membranes and fusing cells. But there is 'good' cholesterol and 'bad' cholesterol. Researchers found that by drinking green tea the 'bad' cholesterol can be reduced, and tea-drinkers can eat almost twice the foods containing cholesterol as a those who don't drink green tea, but still have an equal cholesterol count.

Blood Pressure Reduction
High blood pressure is know to give the vascular system serious problems and contributes to atherscloerosis. Atherscloerosis will then initiate heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases. Green tea has been extensively tested and been found to be highly beneficial in lowering blood pressure and aiding the recovery of heart attack victims.

Antibacterial and Antiviral Activity
Tea catechins are strong antibacterial and antiviral agents which make them effective for treating everything from tooth decay to HIV. In studies green tea has even protected rats from cholera, and has been shown to inhibit the spread of disease. Green tea can aid with relieving influenza or diarrhea. In general catechins help boost the strength of the immune system.

Reduction of Blood Sugar
About 60 years ago, Dr. Minowada of Kyoto University noticed that sugar in the urine of patients hospitalized for diabetes fell markedly during periods when they participated in a Tea Ceremony. Modern science is studying and confirming this.

Other benefits
Green tea, with its all-important chemical compounds, has also shown many other benefits and potential uses.