Preventing Cancer
One of the major health benefits reported from drinking green tea is how it may defend in preventing certain cancers. If you have been drinking green tea for a while you are at an advantage.
There is strong evidence supporting the contention that many types of cancer may be prevented with long term consumption of green tea. These cancers are: bladder, colon, esophageal, pancreas, rectum, and stomach.
“…For a long time, green tea was preferred as a beverage because of its attractive flavor and taste. But the scientific community and the popular press have recently pondered that there might be beneficial properties of green tea. Consumption has been associated with anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, antimutagenic, and anticarcinogenic effects.”
(Benelli et al., 2002; Weisburger and Chung, 2002).
It is been concluded that lower rates of cancer in the Asian population are directly correlated with high levels of green tea consumption. These population studies done in the 1980’s have led scientists to study the specific components of green tea to determine what exactly what components are responsible for preventing cancer in the human body.
How does green tea fight and reduce the risk of these cancers? The answer is high levels of EGCG (Epigallocatechin Gallate) that occur naturally in green tea. The ingredient EGCG is a potent antioxidant, about 200 time more powerful than vitamin E which neutralizes pro-oxidants and free radicals that attack lipids in the brain. EGCG also blocks the cancer promoting effect of carcinogens in the body.
Only about 10% of the experiments involving green tea have involved humans, directly. Studying data from animals and test tubes, while not completely relevant regarding humans, does provide much insight for future study and simply cannot be ignored.
How much should you drink? Traditional Chinese homeopathic health practitioners say 10 cups a day is standard while other research indicates 2-3 cups a day is fine. If you want to guess take the average, 4-5 cups daily. Drinking this amount is easy and if you like it you may find yourself drinking 10 cups a day!
Protecting Your Heart
Good news! Green tea is great for your heart! The natural antioxidants in tea may have a strong effect on heart disease, controling blood pressure and lowering cholesterol.
Reduced geart attack risk – In a 25 year study, evidence supports that consuming 8.5 oz of green tea daily reduces the risk of dying from or even having a first heart attack. Scientists also found that by consuming more antioxidants, like that found in tea, people were 3 times less likely to be at risk of dying from coronary heart disease.
This amazing benefit derived from drinking green tea or taking green tea extract is probably due to the fact that antioxidants decrease blood clotting which is common prior to heart attacks. Remember, green tea is rich in natural antioxidants.
Do you have high cholesterol? – Drinking green tea can be a natural defense in lowering this dangerous condition that plagues millions of people. One study in Japan found that heavy, regular green tea consumption decreased cholesterol 8 levels when compared with people who did not drink green tea.
More studies will be needed to establish concrete evidence of the coronary benefits, however history has plenty of evidence to prove the implied heart health benefits.
Preventing Arthritis
Green tea is a natural anti-inflamatory and reduces the pain of arthritis , as studies have concluded. Certain antioxidants in green tea naturally postpone the onset or severity of certain types of arthritis. Adding tea to your diet could surely be an easy way to help you if you suffer from arthritis, plus you’ll get all the other benefits as well!
Protecting Your Liver
Scientists suggest green tea helps the liver in two ways – by protecting liver cells and by triggering the immune system. Green tea antioxidants have been shown to protect the liver against toxins like alcohol and chemicals in cigarette smoke. Although the scientific information about the effects of green tea on the liver is limited, the early results look promising and should be studied in greater detail in the future.
Protecting Your Teeth
Green tea experiments have shown promising results for your teeth as well. Asian health providers have longed talked about how drinking green tea can promote oral health. Scientific and medical literature now back up this ancient claim – information from both human and animal studies demonstrate how green tea works against bacteria that cause cavities in teeth. Also, green tea naturally contains fluoride, which protects teeth from cavities.
Summary
Considering how many health benefits one can derive from simply drinking this wonderfully natural and healthy beverage, it’s amazing how many people don’t take advantage of it. Consider adding it to your diet at meals or in between as a substitute for coffee. How many things can you think of in your daily routine that that provide you a health benefit such as simply enjoying a cup of delicious green tea?
