Benefits of Tea – Green Tea Benefits

Posts Tagged ‘polyphenols’

Green tea health benefits can be gained by simply drinking 3 to 4 cups of high quality tea daily. You can protect yourself against a variety of health issues because green tea contains antioxidants known as flavonoids and polyphenols. Antioxidants are what clean the oxygen your body takes in daily to use in running the millions of processes it takes to keep you going.

Green tea has been found to have a significantly higher antioxidant potential than, for example, red wine or grape juice. In addition to these antioxidants, it also contains Vitamin B6, Vitamins B1 and B2. These play an important part in boosting metabolism and energy. These are among the reasons that studies are conducted on green tea health benefits.

Key minerals as well as magnesium are found in green tea. These are essential for healthy bones as well as body development. Potassium is also found in high quantities, which is needed to maintain the body’s fluid levels and keep your heart pumping.

There are plenty of other health benefits found in green tea. They include:

• Inhibiting the growth of cancer: This has been found through studies of the antioxidants that green tea provide.
• Preventing diabetes: Laboratory rats were studied to see the effects that green tea may have on diabetes. The results show that simply drinking green tea may actually prevent people from developing diabetes.
• Keeping away bad breath: This may be one of the most important green tea health benefits to many people. Drinking a cup of green tea has been found to keep your breath fresh.
• Fighting acne:  For those of you with an ongoing acne problem, you may want to consider trying green tea. It’s safe and affordable, and the antioxidants have proved effective in preventing acne. It also reduces the inflammation that comes along with it.
• Warding off Alzheimer’s: The same antioxidants that provide other health benefits may also keep your memory intact and protect your brain from the plaque deposits that cause Alzheimer’s disease.
• Reducing cholesterol: There have been studies that show green tea health benefits include reducing blood cholesterol and blood clotting while lowering blood pressure. Green tea combats heart disease and reduces stroke risk.
• Fighting HIV: The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology published a study that showed the epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, contained in green tea can boost the immune system, thus, helping prevent HIV.

It’s easy to see that there are many benefits to including green tea in your daily diet.

Many people wonder the answer to the question: “Is green tea good for you?” The more that this subject has been scrutinized the easier it becomes to say “Yes, green tea IS good for you.”

Not only is it good for you, but the many health benefits it provides is astounding. Very few types of foods can boast as many positive effects on the body as green tea can. Once you start to research all of the benefits of ingesting a few cups of green tea on a daily basis, you’ll want to be sure that your pantry is stocked with it.

When people ask “Is green tea good for you?” it’s rare for the people providing the answer to this question to have to stop and think before delivering a resounding YES. How can something that can actually prevent the onset of such diseases as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and even HIV NOT be good for you? That should be the question.

Studies have been conducted on green tea and what health benefits can be derived from it. The results of these studies have surprised even the scientists that have been performing them.

If you’re one of the people wondering “Is green tea good for you?” take a look at the studies that show how many antioxidants are present in green tea. These antioxidants provide the many positive things that the human body needs to stay in perfect operating condition. Antioxidants fight the bad things that our bodies take in on a daily basis and keep it free from the many things that can be harmful.

Several animal studies have resulted in suggesting that polyphenols of green tea protect the body from different types of cancers such as colon, pancreas, stomach, breast, small intestine and lung. Even more exciting is that many population studies have also suggested that drinking green tea offer significantly lower instances of cancer.

When you think of those things alone, the answer to “Is green tea good for you?” should be a no-brainer. Now, add to the cancer fighting factor some other promising studies. These include immune boosters that offer some protection in contracting HIV. It also has the ability to keep your breath fresh and prevent acne. Its’ ability to regulate glucose can be a block to developing diabetes. Last, but not least, green tea lowers bad cholesterol, which protects against heart disease and strokes.

You should now have the answer to your question about green tea being good for you.

Green Tea – Healthy, Wealthy and Wise

It is not always that we are so fortunate that something we enjoy is good for us. How lucky we are that green tea fits that role so well!

The role of green tea in promoting health has been much in the news in the last few years. There is ample evidence that, consumed in moderation, green tea indeed does aid many aspects of functioning. Some of these benefits have been known for over a thousand years.

The polyphenols, flavonoids and even caffeine (in moderate quantities) present in green tea are all known to help the body protect itself. Green tea helps lower cholesterol (the ‘bad’ kind), absorbs free radicals that can damage cell membranes and reduces the prospect of certain cancers.

Despite Federal FDA denials, many studies lend strong support to those who tout green tea’s benefits. Black tea, as well, has most of the same benefits.

But green tea has many virtues beyond the medicinal. It tastes delightful and provides a relaxing form of enjoyment in a hectic world.

Just as with black or Oolong tea, green tea comes from the leaves of an evergreen called Camellia Sinensis. They are plucked, then processed. But unlike black tea, green tea leaves do not go through a long oxidation process.

Instead, green tea leaves are steamed, which retains the EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) antioxidants. Black and Oolong teas undergo ‘fermentation’ which converts the EGCG into other compounds. ‘Fermentation’ in tea, despite the use of the same word, is not the same process as in winemaking. No sugars are converted to alcohol. It’s simply a synonym for oxidation, more or less.

As a result, the tea flavor is much more delicate and the aroma and taste retain much more of the ‘vegetative’ quality from the original bush. That flavor is enjoyed in a hundred varieties by tea drinkers the world over.

The Long Jing tea from Hang Zhou in China, pan dried and flat in appearance, often goes by the name Dragon Well. This green tea is among the most common drinks in China. Yet for all its commonality, it makes a fine brew. The Gyokuro, also known as Jewel Dew as a consequence of its color, is another fine green tea from China.

The Ryokucha from Japan is a green tea that is so common there that a form of the word (ocha) is often taken to mean simply ‘tea’. Connoisseurs regard the green tea from the Uji region of Kyoto to be among the finest. Matcha is a powdered green tea once used primarily in tea ceremonies. Now it is so popular throughout Japan and elsewhere that it finds its way into ice cream and other sweets.

Gunpowder, which has nothing to do with the explosive, is another popular variety. The leaves are rolled into tiny pellets, making for a very intense infusion. Its muscatel overtones make for a wonderful brew.

There is even a green tea-style Earl Grey. Though without the heady flavor of the more common black tea type, the bergamot oil combines well with green tea.

So if you have always been a committed black tea drinker, it’s time to open up your horizons. It may not make you wealthy, but it can give you enjoyment and promote your health. And isn’t that very wise?

The polyphenols are found in the camellia sinensis plants, which are crushed and then fermented into common teas, such as green tea, black tea and the oolong tea. These polyphenols have been extensively studied to determine the extent of their benefits.

The studies showed that they contain about 10 times the amount of antioxidants than what are found in our fruits and vegetables. The antioxidants are a powerful ally in the fight against ailments like cancer.

The ones found in the green and black teas are different than the antioxidants that are found in fruits and vegetables. Green and black teas contain flavonoids, such as the catechins, that can seek out and destroy chemicals that damage a body’s cells, and cause cancers to form.

Tea is also thought to defend against toxic chemicals that we see with inhaling tobacco smoke. They protect cells from these nasty enemies and prevent them from damaging our body’s cells.

Tea can defend against other ailments like blood clot formations, high cholesterol and it can possibly delay the onset of diseases like diabetes. Polyphenols are also known for their aid in weight loss programs and in the defense against halitosis and dental problems.

They can also improve skin conditions and they are possibly linked to aiding in the delay of Parkinson symptoms. The benefits don’t stop there, though. It’s reported that tea can help reduce your chances for skin cancer – and in some cases, by using the tea extract in lotion form, you may be able to block the damage from the sun.

Tea is known to slow the growth of already-formed tumors, it protects your bones from frailty, and even boosts your immune system so you can lessen your chances for colds, throat infections and flu symptoms.

With the results of these studies on the polyphenols, it’s recommended that you drink about 8-10 cups of green or black tea daily in order to reap from their health benefits.

Balance the cups with caffeinated and decaffeinated teas to prevent the side effects of caffeine. Some experts are considering these teas with powerful antioxidants to be healthier than drinking water.

Water doesn’t provide you with the polyphenols that the teas do, which offer us tons of health benefits as well as nutrients. By adding these teas to your health regimen daily, you can increase your chances of a healthier lifestyle and decrease your chances for contracting diseases, ailments and some types of modern-day cancers.

Green tea has been around a long time. It’s been used by the ancient Chinese for many medicinal purposes for about 4,000 years. It’s been used in their culture for just about everything – including depression!

Modern-day scientists have studied green tea and reported a possible linkage with the reduction of chances for people to contract some types of cancers, along with positive effects on our bodies like increasing our energy levels.

Green tea has been linked to helping eliminate our chances of contracting other diseases as well, such as cardiovascular disease and arthritis – and it can even help lower our cholesterol levels.

Using green tea can help with our minor aches and pains like headaches and joint pain. Green tea contains catechin polyphenols, which are believed to be the ingredients that give us all of these wondrous health benefits.

The polyphenols are found in the leaves of the camellia sinensis plant, which is then ground up and made into our green tea. These polyphenols are thought to inhibit the cancer cells from growing to form the many types of cancer we see today, without damaging any tissues in the process.

Polyphenols are considered to be very powerful ant-oxidants, which promote healthier body processes. It’s also known for helping some people lose weight, by increasing your energy levels and promoting a healthier rate of calorie burning within your body.

It’s an all-natural answer to your diet program without the side effects of controversial supplemental diet pills. Drinking green tea is a natural, safe way to provide these health benefits, but it’s not a replacement for regular health checkups with your doctor.

Continue to see your doctors, but give your body a little added benefit of a healthy lifestyle in addition to your checkups. It may be linked to providing natural treatments for some ailments and lessens the chance for others, but don’t forego your physicians’ prescribed treatment plan. It may lessen your chances for diseases, but it’s not a miracle cure for everything. Use it to enhance your treatment plans.

Green tea can also provide you with a healthier oral hygiene regimen. It helps prevent plaque from forming, while keeping bacteria under control so it doesn’t get out of hand and cause halitosis problems. With all of the reports of harmful effects that some treatments cause, green tea is an attractive option.

The only harmful effect it can cause is from the caffeine you consume with it, but if you choose a decaffeinated version, the effects are minimized. If you want to keep your body truly healthy, give green tea a try. The ancient Chinese did – and they used it for almost all of their medicinal needs.