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Avatrim The Miracle of Green Tea |
Is any other food or
drink reported 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. |
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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 functionWhat 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 importance 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 reported 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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