A Review of the Health Benefits Of Green Tea

A Review of the Health Benefits Of Green Tea
Author: Spencer Hunt

The benefits of green tea have been touted by the Chinese and Asian cultures for centuries. Finally, the West is catching on and is discovering the healing properties of this simple beverage. In the past, it has been used to treat headaches, depression, general malaise and other disorders. The Chinese have used green tea as a medicine for at least 4,000 years.

Currently, research is being done in Asia and in the West to find evidence of the health benefits that are associated with green tea. The evidence is staggering.

Research at the University of Purdue showed that there is a compound in green tea that inhibits the growth of cancer cells.

Research has shown that drinking green tea can be helpful for people with cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, infection, cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol and impaired immune function.

The Journal of the National Cancer Institute published a study in the 1990s that showed that drinking green tea actually offered a 60% reduction to the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women.

Studies have shown that drinking green tea lowers cholesterol and improves the "good" cholesterol (HDL).

Green tea has certain properties that give it its healing abilities. It is very rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly EGCG. EGCG, epigallocatechin gallate, is a very powerful antioxidant. It inhibits the growth of cancer cells and can actually kill them, yet it does not harm healthy tissue. It has also been shown as being quite effective in lowering LDL cholesterol - the "bad" cholesterol. It has also been shown to inhibit the abnormal formation of blood clots which are the leading cause of heart attack and stroke.

At this time, the only drawback to green tea, its only negative side effect, is that it contains caffeine. This can lead to insomnia. The good news is that green tea contains less caffeine than coffee. There are also decaffeinated versions of green tea that are available. But if you drink the tea early in the day, before 4 pm, you should have no problem falling asleep. One worry with the caffeine is that it may become addicting. So use your best judgement.

It is also believed that green tea may also help with weight loss. The University of Geneva performed a study where they gave men caffeine and green tea These men burned more calories than men who had only caffeine or were given a placebo. Moreover, green tea has been shown to prevent tooth decay. Its bacteria destroying properties help prevent food poisoning as well as killing the bacteria that causes dental plaque.

Glyconutrients supplements are another way to help your body get healthy antioxidants into the body. In fact, studies have shown that glyconutritionals help the body to create its own natural antioxidants.

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Spencer Hunt is a wellness consultant who uses glyconutrient supplements. For a FREE phone consultation to find real answers, contact the experts at www.ifoundhealth.com