The Miracle of Green Tea
For over 4,000 years, the Chinese people have used green tea as treatment for numerous ailments.
Today, studies are conducted in Asia and the west in order to produce hard evidence of the health benefits of green tea. In the 1994 edition of the Journal of National Cancer Institute, the results of an epidemiological study stated that one of the health benefits of drinking green tea is that it can reduce the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by up to 60%.
The presence the antioxidant EGCG is the principle reason why green tea has such great health benefits. EGCG has properties that can not only inhibit the growth of cancer cells, but may even be able to destroy them without harming healthy cells.
The University of Purdue has also concluded a research on how a certain compound present in green tea can stop cancer cells from growing. Still another health benefit of green tea is its ability to lower down cholesterol levels and improve the ratio between good (HDL) cholesterol and bad (LDL) cholesterol.
The EGCG in green tea is a health benefit substance that can lower down LDL cholesterol levels and stop blood from forming abnormal clots (thrombosis), a leading cause of heart attacks and strokes.
Green tea has more health benefits than other teas like oolong and black tea, even though they come from the same Camellia sinensis plant. Green tea is different because of the process by which it is made. Green tea gets much of its health benefits from how the Camellia sinensis leaves are steamed. The steaming process keeps the EGCG health benefits from oxidizing. With oolong and black teas, the leaves are fermented instead of steamed, which causes the EGCG be less potent.
One of the most exciting benefits of green tea is how it can help you to burn more calories – aiding in weight loss. Recent studies have shown that combining green tea and caffeine is more effective in burning calories that just taking caffeine or placebo. Scientific studies bode well for the numerous benefits of green tea.
Another exciting thing about green tea is that it even has bacteria-destroying properties. Studies have shown that green tea can help prevent food poisoning and even tooth decay. The compounds found in green tea can even kill the bacteria that cause food poisoning and dental plaque to form.
Green tea can almost be considered a miracle in a cup.