For at least 4,000 years the Chinese have used green tea as a medicine as
well as a pleasant drink. Suddenly, Americans have taken up green tea and sales
have increased six and one half times since 2002. It is touted for so many ills
that it sounds like snake oil. It is really everything it is claimed to be? The
answer is a cautious yes.
Why is green tea so great?
Green tea is rich in anti-oxidants and especially in (take a deep breath)
epicallicatichin gallate or EGCG. Black tea, oolong, and green tea all come
from the leaves of the comillia sinesis plant but green tea leaves are steamed
while black tea and oolong tea leaves are fermented. The fermenting process
greatly diminishes the amount of EGCG in the leaves. In recent years over 500
studied have been done regarding green tea and cancer, cardiovascular health,
weight loss, cholesterol, infection, impaired immune function, arthritis, and
lower blood pressure.
Green tea and cancer
Many studies demonstrate that green tea or EGCG prevents cancer. Japanese men
who smoke have a much lower incidence of lung cancer than do their American
counterparts if they drink from four to ten cups of green tea a day. Studies
have shown that drinking at least four to five cups of green tea a day may
prevent the following cancers: bladder, colon, esophageal, rectum, stomach, and
prostate.
Other benefits of green tea
Lowers cholesterol
Improves ratio of good (HDL)
to bad (LDL) cholesterol
boosts the immune system
protects liver cells
acts against bacteria that
cause cavities
is an anti inflammatory that
prevents or alleviates arthritis
burns an extra 70 calories a
day
detoxifies by dissolving
heavy metals
Conclusions
It should be emphasized that only about 10% of the 500 studies were done on
humans; the rest were done on mice or in test tubes. In addition, some studies
were done with the compound EGCG rather than with green tea. Most studies
showed that the more tea consumed, up to ten cups a day, the better. Even
though many studies are only suggestive, none has shown that green tea does any
harm so drinking five to ten cups a day seems like a good idea.