It’s true. Green tea is good for you! There is currently on the books, a decade’s worth of research on its benefits. It has the potential to fight and prevent heart disease and cancer, as well as other diseases. There is data from research that green tea may prevent diabetes, dementia as well as lower cholesterol levels and burn fat.
Noteworthy nutrition researchers have stated that they back the assertions about the positive benefits of green tea. While actual real-world evidence is still minimal, the findings coming out of laboratory settings are quite positive.
Many of the studies that encompassed numerous subjects were based out of Eastern countries — places where green teach is a mainstay of local diets. The populations that were studied and their intake of soy and other lifestyle factors may also affect these studies.
But most researchers and scientists do agree that there are compounds and antioxidants contained in green tea that can help providing and maintaining good health.
Catechins are green tea’s antioxidants. Antioxidants seek out free radicals and cells that can damage DNA, cause cancer and heart disease. Other foods containing these antioxidants include dark chocolate, red wine and grapes.
Green tea has very unique catechins due to the way it is processed. Green tea leaves are not ferment like many other teas, making the catechins more concentrated.
Many studies raise the question of the quantity of green tea that must be consumed before it becomes a health benefit. The main catechin epigallocatechin-3-gallate or EGCG is not always fully processed by the human body.
A professor at McGill University, Tak-Hang Chan indicates that this issue of lowered bioavailability must be addressed in order to actually realize the full range of benefits of green tea. Dr. Chan has been studying the effects of synthetic EGCG in prostrate cancer treatments.
