Is green tea really good for me?
There is a lot of hype about the benefits of drinking green tea, is any of it true? I’m a coffee devotee but if there are great reasons to trade in French Roast for fresh brewed, I want in. Here's what I've uncovered about the health benefits (and risks) inside that cup of yummy green tea...
Cancer
Research suggests that polyphenol content in green tea is rich in antioxidant properties that prevent cancer. But in 2005, the FDA concluded that green tea drinkers were not reducing their risk for gastric, lung, colon/rectal, esophageal, pancreatic, ovarian, and combined cancers, despite what some previous studies had suggested. The good news is, the FDA also found that green tea drinkers may be reducing their risk for breast and prostate cancer.
Hearts and Warts
In 2006, the FDA claimed that there is no “credible evidence” that supports green tea’s supposed ability to reduce instances of Cardiovascular Disease. Later that year, the FDA approved a topical ointment based on green tea used to treat warts.
Antioxidants
Also in 2006, researchers at Yale University School of Medicine reviewed over 100 studies on the health benefits of drinking green tea. They examined why in Asia rates of heart disease and cancer are low, despite high rates of cigarette smokers. Researchers hypothesized that 1.2 liters of green tea, consumed daily, might provide very high levels of polyphenols and other antioxidants that improve cardiovascular health and essentially counteract the negative affects associated with smoking.
Pregnancy
Drinking green tea in excess can cause oxidative stress and liver toxicity. Some suggest exercising caution when you brew, and pregnant women are advised by some doctors to avoid green tea all together.
So can it make me skinny?
Some green tea fans think drinking tea increases endurance while exercising and improves fat metabolism. But research that backs up this claim is spotty.
Smoother skin?
Studies also suggest that tea extracts might be effective for treating patients who “suffer from damaged skin following radiation treatment for cancer.” This might be because tea is high in anti-inflammatory properties.
Are you a green tea believer? Tell us why you love green tea!
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written by TeaFan, October 16, 2008
Citrus mixed with Green/White tea increases its benefits...
...and as a Teologist, I am very secure that authentic loose teas will impact our health in many positive ways. I believe in Integrative Medicine (the best of both Western Medicine and Naturopathy) --tea is just one of those great life-longevity-expanding items that will always be on my grocery list.
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What is 'Eat'?
• Another study showed that green tea acted as a scavenger against skin cancer cells, whether taken orally or applied to the skin.
• A third study looked at post menopausal women who drank green tea, compared to those who drank black tea and those who were not tea drinkers at all. This study concluded that green tea, but not black tea, had a significant lowering effect on women’s circulating estrogen level. We know that a high circulating estrogen level after menopause increases the breast cancer risk.
• A study conducted in China concluded that women who were regular tea drinkers had (meaning that they drank at least one cup of green tea a day for at least six months) a significantly lower risk of biliary tract cancer and gallbladder cancer – even if they had gall bladder disease – than those who did not drink green tea.
• Another study showed that green tea consumption appears to have the ability to act as a sort of scavenger against a substance called Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). ROS are a particular form of free radicals that contribute to the development of prostate cancer, when produced in excess. But, the anti-oxidants contained in green tea have the particular abilities to get at these free radicals and eradicate them, preventing them from developing into cancer cells.
So, as you can see, there’s a lot of research that shows that green tea works, but very little that explains to us exactly how green tea prevents cancer. At least one study, however, has attempted to determine just how green tea works.
--these studies were released in 2006. I have to post this with to ensure others that people like me still believe that white and green teas can prevent cancer, and also boost health in other ways.