There are four primary polyphenols in green tea and they are often collectively referred to as catechins.
Powerful antioxidants, catechins have been shown in recent studies to fight viruses, slow aging, and have a beneficial effect on health. Clinical tests have shown that catechins destroy free radicals and have far-reaching positive effects on the entire body.
Free radicals are highly reactive molecules and fragments of molecules that can damage the body at the cellular level leaving the body susceptible to cancer, heart disease, and many other degenerative diseases.
EGCG is a potent antioxidant.
Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), an antioxidant found in green tea, is at least 100 more times more effective than vitamin C and 25 times more effective than vitamin E at protecting cells and DNA from damage believed to be linked to cancer, heart disease and other serious illnesses. This antioxidant has twice the benefits of resveratrol, found in red wine.
Special Benefits of Green Tea
- Reduces high blood pressure. Drinking green tea represses angiotensin II which leads to high blood pressure.
- Lowers blood sugar. Green tea polyphenols and polysaccharides are effective in lowering blood sugar.
- Fights cancer. There have been many studies that have shown that green tea catechins are effective at preventing cancer.
Green tea also boosts the immune system because of its high concentrations of polyphenols and flavenoids.
Studies have shown that adding green tea to your daily diet provides several health benefits to include the metabolizing of fat, ease of digestion, and is a good source of flavonoids.
Another benefit is that tea is a form of natural diuretic, which is very mild and not harmful.
Green Tea and Weight Loss
Green tea antioxidants have been shown to lower cholesterol.
If you drink green tea you can-
- Lower cholesterol
- Increase Thermogenesis (the body's rate of burning calories)
- Enhance fat oxidation
Green tea weight loss benefits - it burns fat naturally and increases metabolism
Green tea contains high concentrations of catechin polyphenols. These compounds work with other chemicals to intensify levels of fat oxidation and thermogenesis, where heat is created in the body by burning fuels such as fat. Drinking Japanese green tea regularly will increase your metabolism and help burn fat safely and naturally.
Green tea can lower cholesterol and increase energy expenditure
Green tea also causes carbohydrates to be released slowly, preventing sharp increases in blood-insulin levels. This promotes the burning of fat.
Drinking green tea can facilitate weight loss by effecting glucose
Weight is gained as excess sugars and fats are stored in the body as fat cells. Green tea catechins can help prevent obesity by inhibiting the movement of glucose in fat cells. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) has been found to be especially effective. There is now good evidence that green tea catechins are related to reductions in body fat.
EGCG is a powerful antioxidant with positive qualities but a balanced diet and exercise, lots of it, are of paramount importance to any weight reduction program.
Green Tea vs Black Tea
Which tea is better - green tea or black tea? As we all know, green tea is a very powerful weapon against several illnesses. But how about black tea? Do we also get health benefits from it?
Black tea does have several health benefits but they are not nearly as wide-ranging and powerful as those of green tea.
But what makes green tea more beneficial than black tea ?
The answer is "catechins"! Catechins are green tea's main ingredient containing eight times more than black tea. Catechins are, by the way, the one responsible for green tea's amazing health benefits.
Bottom line is that the more catechins a tea has, the better it is for your general health.
Unfortunately, these catechins are mostly oxidized into theaflavins and thearubigens during the manufacture of black tea.
Theaflavins and thearubigens do have some of their own health benefits, but they can’t compare with the wide-ranging effects of green tea’s catechins, particularly the powerful EGCG.
While a cup of black tea contains about 5- 10 mg of the powerful catechin EGCG, a cup of green tea contains more than eight times than amount, or 40-90 mg.
Although green and black teas came from the same plant - Camellia Sinensis, what makes them different from each other in terms of taste and health benefits is the processing method.
When making green tea, processors lightly steam or gently heat the leaves to stop the oxidation process. This processing is so minimal that green tea can be consumed the same leaves are picked.
On the other hand, tea leaves designed to become black tea are allowed to oxidize and undergo considerably more processing, including a fermentation process that produces the dark-brown and even reddish color of black tea.
But the process used to make a black tea destroys compounds called polyphenols. It is the polyphenols that are responsible for the long list of health benefits of green tea.
Despite its stronger color and flavor, black tea cannot come close to green tea as far as health benefits are concerned.
Because green tea’s processing is as little as possible, green tea retains its original polyphenols.
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