Showing posts with label green tea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label green tea. Show all posts

Thursday, 9 August 2012

The Antioxidising Benefits of Green Tea


People have been drinking green tea for centuries now. This is probably one of the oldest beverage preparation in history. Have you ever wondered why people drink green tea until now? Well, studies have proven that drinking green tea has a lot of health benefits. For one, it is well known to have antioxidising benefits. The animal kingdom needs oxygen in order to survive and that includes the humans.

Body processes need oxygen. This element is abundantly found in the air and with proper intake, it burns the glucose and fat present in the body to supply the needed heat and energy. So you see, oxygen is an essential element needed by the body but anything in excess is harmful and too much oxygen can also have negative effects. 

The byproducts of oxidation are free radicals. Sometimes, other molecules interact with the free radicals and so these molecules are also turned into free radicals which can disrupt the normal functioning of the said molecules. If this continue to happen, it could lead to tissue damage and finally, cell destruction. 

There are even times when the abnormal functioning of molecules can lead to certain degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, artherosclerosis, cancer, heart diseases, and Parkinson's disease. Humans are quite fortunate because their bodies are equipped with the right defenses in order to prevent the free radical's harmful effects.

By eating a lot of fruits and vegetables which contain antioxidants, the free radicals are prevented from causing any harm to the human body. Aside from fruits and vegetables, you can also get antioxidants from green tea. As you can see, by drinking green tea and eating the right amount of fruits and veggies, you can prevent diseases and cell damage. 

The tea plant or Camellia Sinensis is popular for its antioxidants which fights diseases. The Chinese people have been using the tea plant for centuries and you can usually find green tea in every household. The Chinese believe that the tea is a very healthy beverage whic promotes good health and well being. Aside from China, green tea is also widely used in Thailand, India, and Japan.

Traditional Chinese and Indian medicines usually contain green tea because it can serve as a stimulant, an astringent (to heal wounds and control bleeding), as a diuretic (to promote the excretion of urine), and an agent that can improve the heart's health. Green tea is rich in polycatechins which is responsible for the many health benefits. The tea also contains other ingredients which further enhance its antioxidising properties. 

Catechins are powerful antioxidants. Aside from it, green tea contains vitamins C, E, and A. It also has properties which makes it anti-carcinogenic, neuro-protective, cardio-protective, and anti-microbial. Green tea is well known to prevent cancer because of the antioxidant called epigallocatechin gallate. 

Now that you know the benefits of drinking green tea, don't you think it's also time that you start taking it? Let healing wonders of green tea improve your overall health. There are now a lot of green tea products sold in the market at very affordable prices. aside from the green tea drinks, you can also find health supplements which contain extracts of green tea. For optimum health and well being, try to incorporate green tea to you diet.

If you're trying to lose weight or you simply want to maintain your current weight, it would also help a lot if you make it a habit to drink green tea before, during, and after meals. But always remember, too much of anything can also be harmful. So just take green tea in the right amount.

Facts You Must Know About Your Green Tea


During ancient times, the Chinese have studied and proved the medicinal properties and benefits of green tea. It is found that green tea has many health benefits compared to other food or drinks. It is used by the Chinese people to cure simple headaches to depression. Green tea had been used as medicine for 4,000 years proving only that it is one of the most common remedy among many illness.

Facts about Green Tea

• Reduces the risk of having cancer by inhibiting the growth of cancer cells especially on the colon, pancreas, rectum, bladder, esophagus, and   stomach without harming healthy cells

• Helpful for those who have rheumatoid arthritis

• Reduce the risk of having hypertension and elevated blood pressure

• Reduces the cholesterol level in the body

• Increases metabolism

• Helps body to fight viruses and bacteria by improving the defense action of the immune system

• Reduces the process of thrombosis which helps reduce heart attacks and strokes

• Green tea also helps destroy free radicals

• Helps in reducing fatigue and stress due to its calming action

• Fights cardio vascular diseases

• Green tea is also known for its antibacterial anti viral properties

• The secret of green tea is its catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin (EGCG) which is a powerful anti oxidants

• EGCG is twice as powerful as reservatol whose action is to lower the incidence of heart disease

• Green tea comes from Camelia sinesis plant

• What sets green tea apart from other tea is the way it was processed, green tea leaves are steamed which prevents the important contents from being oxidized

• By contrast other tea brands are made from fermented tea leaves; as a result the other components are converted into other compounds that are not as effective as that of green tea

• New evidence suggests that green tea helps dieters by eliminating fat from the body and helps the body burn more calories compared to caffeine or a placebo

• Green tea can even help prevent tooth decay 

• The bacterial actions of green tea can help prevent food poisoning

• Wide variety of beauty products now contains green tea are available in the market that claims to have great effect in beauty and wellness

• Green tea capsules are now available in health stores for those who don’t want to drink tea

• A cup of green tea contains caffeine level of 20 to 70 milligrams

• There are several kinds of green tea that are available in the market they differ on the amount of caffeine content

Harmful effects

To the present study and research green tea have proven a lot of benefits and medicinal properties but when it comes to harmful effects of green tea had been reported to contribute to insomnia or difficulty of sleep experienced by users. Green tea is advised to be taken at least 3 to 4 cups daily and not to be taken as substitute for water.

Caffeine is the ingredient found in green tea that contributes to sleeping difficulty but its caffeine contents is less compared to that of coffee and black tea. Other components of green tea must also be controlled for it can contribute to liver problems.

For pregnant mothers and for  under medications it is important to ask your doctor before consuming the beverage for some components of green tea might have reactions with other compounds found in medications.