Green Tea: Why It Is So Good For You
Many people are quick to claim that green tea is good for you, but relatively few people actually know the reason for this. With all the many health food products lining the market shelves however–many of them making largely unsubstantiated health benefit claims–it is definitely worth looking a little more closely at green tea in order to see the truth that lies behind the hype.
The secret to green tea’s health benefits
You may have heard that green tea is good for you but you may not exactly be clear about the reason why. It is easy enough to be in the dark, in the midst of all the hype surrounding green tea. Unlike other health foods that have proven to be little more than products of the overactive imaginations of some marketing personnel, green tea actually does have what it takes to live up to the hype.
What’s in green tea?
The main health beneficial ingredient in green tea is catechin polyphenol, of which the epigallocatechin gallate variety or EGCG is the most abundant. EGCG is quite a powerful antioxidant that slows down the growth of cancer cells. It also has the effect of killing cancer cells without doing harm to the healthy tissue surrounding them. EGCG has also been shown to lower LDL cholesterol levels, and reduce the formation of blood clots. Since blood clots are some of the most common causes of heart attacks and stroke, this green tea benefit is all the more important.
Green tea and the French paradox
There is an interesting link between green tea and what is known in scientific circles as the French paradox. This is a phenomenon that revolves around the lower propensity for heart disease in the French in spite of a notoriously fat rich diet. The key to this mystery seems to be the copious consumption of red wine by the French. Red wine is known to contain high amounts of resveratrol, which is a polyphenol that can negate the effects of both smoking and a fatty diet.
What does this have to do with green tea?
A study conducted by researchers from the University of Kansas in 1997 showed that EGCG–which is found in green tea–is actually two times more potent than resveratrol. This may have a lot to do with the lower incidences of heart disease among the Japanese, even though a large percentage of them smoke.
What makes green tea better than other teas?
What makes green tea more health beneficial than other teas such as oolong and black tea is that its production process leaves much of the EGCG intact compared to other teas wherein a lot of the EGCG is lost in processing rendering them less effective at fighting diseases.