What You Do Not Know About Green Tea
A green and lush oasis in the middle of a scorching dessert. A cool breeze on a hot summer night. A bright light at the end of a cold and dark tunnel. Green tea and cholesterol.
For the millions and millions of people suffering from high cholesterol green tea may be that light. You can browse and search the Internet for topics on green tea and cholesterol and come up with hundred of hits.
As modern science discovered cholesterol, apoB protein, LDLs, and triglycerides, green tea emerged as a surprising solution. As crazy as it sounds that a drink thousands of years old can help lower cholesterol, new scientific research suggests exactly that. The next 10 years will continue to reveal more facts about the world’s oldest beverage: green tea.
Green tea goes beyond just being helpful in lowering cholesterol. New research suggests that green tea can also be helpful in preventing cancer. The reason is that green tea has a very high concentration of antioxidants. A research report released by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute showed a positive correlation between cancer avoidance and green tea. In fact, the research showed that green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese by over 55 percent! In another study by the University of Purdue, scientists found that green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells! Another study by the University of Kansas has determined that EGCG, a natural ingredient in tea, may explain why the Japanese have a lower level of heart disease even though 70 percent are smokers!
And more good news! It is not just green tea and cholesterol or green tea and cancer; it is also green tea and high blood pressure. Habitually drinking 5 to 10 cups a day of green tea lowers high blood pressure.
The Chinese have been using green tea for thousands of years to treat everything from body aches to depression.
There is ongoing research into whether green tea is helpful with cardiovascular disease, infection, arthritis, and more.
Green tea is rich in catechin polyphenols, especially epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a good anti-cancer element. Polyphenol limits the negative effects of smoking and a fatty diet.
Green tea has also been shown to help with weight loss. In a study done by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it was found that men who were given green tea burned more calories than those who were given only caffeine.
How about green tea and tooth decay? Its bacteria-destroying abilities kill the bacteria that cause dental decay. So it is not just green tea and cholesterol, it is also green tea and bacteria.
Why is it that it is green tea and cholesterol not oolong tea or black tea? As we all know there are 3 types of tea, green, oolong and black. All of these come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. But why green? Green tea leaves are steamed, which prevents the EGCG compound from being oxidized while black and oolong tea leaves are made from dried or fermented leaves, which causes loss of EGCG.
Researchers and scientists in the West are only now discovering what the Chinese have known for thousands of years, that drinking green tea is good for you.
There is new research coming out all the time about the health benefits of drinking green tea.