Amazing Green Tea

Green tea is the least processed and thus provides the most antioxidant poly-phenols, notably a catechin called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which is believed to be responsible for most of the health benefits linked to green tea. Green tea is made by briefly steaming the just harvested leaves, rendering them soft and pliable and preventing them from fermenting or changing color. After steaming, the leaves are rolled, then spread out and "fired" (dried with hot air or pan-fried in a wok) until they are crisp. 

The resulting greenish-yellow tea has a green, slightly astringent flavor close to the taste of the fresh leaf.

Health Benefits :

Green tea is particularly rich in health-promoting flavonoids (which account for 30% of the dry weight of a leaf), including catechins and their derivatives. The most abundant catechin in green tea is epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which is thought to play a pivotal role in the green tea's anticancer and antioxidant effects. Catechins should be considered right alongside of the better-known antioxidants like vitamins E and C as potent free radical scavengers and health-supportive for this reason. 

Green tea drinkers appear to have lower risk for a wide range of diseases, from simple bacterial or viral infections to chronic degenerative conditions including cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke, periodontal disease, and osteoporosis.

1.Protects against Death from All Causes, Especially Cardiovascular Disease

Green Tea Benefits
In Women	In Men
23% lower risk of dying from any cause	12% lower risk of dying from any cause
31% lower risk of dying from CVD	22% lower risk of dying from CVD
62% lower risk of dying from stroke	42% lower risk of dying from stroke

2.Protects against Coronary Artery Disease

In one study, those drinking 5 or more cups of green tea each day were found to be 16% less likely to suffer from coronary artery disease. The relationship was so significant researchers concluded, "The more green tea patients consume the less likely they are to have coronary artery disease." 

3.Inhibits Atherosclerosis

  Atherosclerosis was inhibited 26-46% in those receiving the lower dose (equivalent in humans to 3-4 cups per day) , and 48-63% in those receiving the higher dose (10 cups a day in humans). 

4.Special Benefits for Persons with High Triglycerides

Drinking a cup of two green tea along with your meals is a good idea, especially if your triglyceride levels are higher than normal. 

5.Thins the Blood and Helps Prevent Blood Clots

Green tea catechins help thin the blood and prevent the formation of blood clots by preventing the formation of pro-inflammatory compounds derived from omega-6 fatty acids, which are found in meats and polyunsaturated vegetable oils such as corn, safflower and soy oil.

6.Protects the Heart in Patients with Acute 

Cardiovascular Disease

The primary catechin in green tea, EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate) confers such powerful protection that it can help prevent the death of heart muscle cells following ischemia/reperfusion injury. Ischemia is the medical term for a restriction in blood supply and therefore in oxygen and nutrients. When circulation is restored, oxidative damage occurs, and this is referred to as re perfusion injury.Researchers believe EGCG can be used to help minimize damage in patients with acute coronary artery disease.

7.Minimizes Damage and Speeds Recovery after a Heart Attack

 Not only does green tea minimize heart cell death after a heart attack or stroke, ECGC also appears to speed up heart cells' recovery from damage, allowing the tissues to recover more quickly and alleviating damage to organs. 

8.Minimizes Damage to the Brain after a Stroke

"Daily intake of green tea catechins efficiently protects the brain from irreversible damage due to cerebral ischemia, and consequent neurological deficits." 

9.Lowers Blood Pressure and Helps Prevent Hypertension

A study published in the July 2004 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine found that among persons consuming tea regularly for at least one year, the risk of developing high blood pressure was 46% lower among those who drank 1/2 cup to 2-1/2 cups per day, and 65% less among those consuming more than 2-1/2 cups per day. 

10.Helps Prevent the Development of Atherosclerosis and Cancer

Green tea can help stop abnormal cell proliferation. 

11.Protects against Cancer

• Prostate Cancer
• Green tea poly phenols halt prostate cancer at multiple levels
• Ovarian Cancer
• Kaempferol-rich Tea and Broccoli Protective against Ovarian Cancer
• Colo rectal Cancer
• Regular Green Tea Drinking Cuts Colorectal Cancer Risk in Half
• Gallstones and Biliary Tract Cancers
• Lung Cancer
• Bladder Cancer
• Improves the Efficacy of Cancer Drugs While Lessening Their Negative Side-Effects

Other Health Benefits :

• Brain Tumors in Children
• Improves Insulin Sensitivity in Type 2 Diabetes
• Protects against Kidney Disease increase bone mineral density
• Green Tea Provides Bone Benefits Similar to Calcium or Exercise
• Prevents Osteoporosis and Periodontal diseases
• Protects the Liver from Alcohol and Other Harmful Chemicals
• Promotes Fat Loss
• Increases Exercise Endurance
• Protects against Cognitive Decline, Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's Disease
• Green Tea Keeps Elders Mentally Sharp
• Green Tea Fights the Flu
• Sooth stress
• Boost brain power. Improve concentration
• Boost immunity
  
  
  
  And the list gets longer each day...
   

"ONE gram of green tea contains 127 milligrams of antioxidants, equivalent to the amount of antioxidants found in 500 grams of red wine and 1000 grams of apples!"

"Green tea can contain as much as 10 times the amount of antioxidants when compared to fruits and vegetables."

"Tea has much less caffeine than coffee - between 25-50% as much."

"By consuming 3-5 cups of green tea, it has been known to burn a whopping 70 extra calories every day, without any further exercising or dieting."

 

Think about it and make it as a habit.