Green tea and weight loss: Green tea health benefits (part 3)

Fighting Cancer
There are many health benefits associated with having a green tea diet. One of these green tea diet benefits is preventing cancer. Certain substances present in green tea diets  are  said  to  help  in  destroying  cancer  cells  without  harming  any  neighboring tissues. This substance in green tea diets is called epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG. In  the  1994  edition  of  the  Journal  of  National  Cancer  Institute,  the  results  of  an epidemiological study stated that one of the health benefits of drinking green tea is that it can reduce the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and  women by up to 60%.

The  University  of  Purdue  has  also  recently  concluded  a  research  on  how  a  certain compound present in green tea can stop cancer cells from growing.

A Healthy Drink to a Healthy Heart
Study  after  study  has  shown  that  drinking  Chinese  diet  green  tea  and  eating polyphenol-rich foods reduces the risk of any heart complications. Drinking Chinese diet  green  tea  also  helps  strengthen  the  blood  vessels  that  provide  oxygen  and valuable  nutrients  to  the  heart  and  brain.  It  has  been  shown  that  men  who  drink Chinese diet green tea have 75 percent less possibility of havinga stroke than those who don’t drink Chinese diet green tea.

Chinese  diet  green  tea  helps  lower  total  cholesterol  levels  and  improve  the  ratio between LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol. Study shows that men who drink nine or more cups of Chinese diet green tea daily have lower cholesterol levels than those who drink fewer than two cups.

Lowering Down Cholesterol
Obesity has become one of the major health issues in our society today. In fact, more than  half  of  the  American  population  is  overweight  or  obese.  As  a  result,  diet  and weight loss plans have become increasingly popular. But not all diet plans work. And not all of them are necessarily risk-free. A safer alternative for people wanting to lose weight are green tea diets.

Green tea diets can be a potential cure to obesity. The catechin polyphenols present in green tea diets  can delay  the reaction of  gastric and pancreatic lipases in the body.

These enzymes are actually the ones responsible for converting calories in the body into fats. By delaying these enzymes, green tea diets can therefore stop fat from being stored and prevent obesity in people.

Green tea also has the ability to lower down cholesterol levelsand improve the ratio between good (HDL) cholesterol and bad (LDL) cholesterol. The EGCG in green tea can  stop  blood  from  forming  abnormal  clots  (thrombosis),  a  leading  cause  of  heart attacks and strokes.

Green tea and weight loss: Green tea health benefits (part 2)

Green tea has more health benefits compared to other Chinese teas like oolong and black tea, all of which come from the plant Camellia sinensis. What makes green tea different is the process by which it is made. Green tea owes much of its  health benefits to how the Camellia sinensis leaves are steamed. The steam process keeps the EGCG health benefit of  green  tea  from  oxidizing.  With  oolong  and  black  teas,  however,  the  leaves  are fermented instead of being steamed, thus causing the EGCG health benefit to transform into another less medicinally potent form.

The rich presence of catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is the reason why green tea has so much health benefits. A powerful antioxidant, EGCG can not only inhibit the growth of cancer cells but can also destroy them without harming healthy cells. The EGCG in green tea is a health benefit substance that can lower down LDL  cholesterol  levels  and  stop  blood  from  forming  abnormal  clots  (thrombosis),  a leading cause of heart attacks and strokes.

Aside from medicinal value, green tea can also offer other health benefits, especially in the fitness field. Drinking green tea can cause a person to burn down  more calories. A recent  study  on  the  health  benefits  of  green  tea  shows  that  the  drink  can  help  dieters. According  to  the  American  Journal  of  Clinical  Nutrition  in  1999,  men  who  take  both caffeine  and  green  tea  burn  down  more  calories  than  men  who  only  take  caffeine  or  a placebo.

Another  health  benefit  of  green  tea  is  its  bacteria-destroying  properties.  The  health benefit of green tea in this area is that it can help prevent food poisoning and also prevent 4 tooth decay. The substances found in green tea kill the bacteria  causing food poisoning and those that cause dental plaque to form.

Well known for its countless medicinal and health benefits, green teais nothing short of a miracle.

Green tea and weight loss: Introduction (part 1)

According to tradition, Chinese diet green tea could cure anything from headaches, body aches, and pains to constipation and depression. Over the centuries, furthermore health claims are made on account of Chinese diet green tea.

Dating back more than  4,000  years, Chinese diet green tea has been long  revered as a tasty  drink  that  can  ward  off  diseases  and  improve  one’s  well-being.  Since  its  first recorded use during the time of Emperor Shen Nung, the link betweenChinese diet green tea and good health has never been severed. It’s been used as treatment for everything from headaches to depression. Today, various health benefits of green tea are constantly being  reported  and  many  scientists  are  now  focusing  their  attention  on  the  simple,  yet elegantly profound beverage that is green tea.

Like all three of the major Asian teas in the market, green tea comes from the plant called Carmellia  sinensis.  Much  of  the  health  benefits of  green  tea  diets  owe  to  the  steaming method  of  making  it.  As  opposed  to  black  and  oolong  tea  which  undergoes  full oxidization, green tea diet is only gently steamed, preserving the natural antioxidants in its original form. The antioxidants in green tea helps fight away free radicals. These free radicals are the major contributing factors to aging as well as the ensuing degeneration of cells as a result of  it.  Scientists  have  reason  to  believe  that  free  radicals  also  play  a  role  in  various degenerative  diseases  such  as  arthritis,  rheumatism,  Alzheimer’s disease,  and  even cancer.

Chinese diet green tea is said to increase the blood flow throughout  the body. Because Chinese diet green tea contains a little caffeine, ingesting  this drink stimulates the heart and allows the blood to flow more freely through the blood vessels. For the same reason that Chinese diet green tea stimulates blood flow, it also stimulates mental clarity. Chinese  diet  green  tea  detoxifies  the  body.  The  presence  of  polyphenols,  a  naturally occurring antioxidant in Chinese diet green tea, the beverage is said to combat harmful free radicals and help keep the body free from diseases. In this regard, Chinese diet green tea helps maintain the overall well-being of the body. Antioxidantsin Chinese diet green tea can boost immunity, preserve young-looking skin, and brighten the eyes. Chinese diet green tea aids in digestion and banishes fatigue. Chinese diet green tea is also said to prolong the lifespan. For  many  years,  men  of  science  remained  skeptical  about  the  health  claims  made  by Chinese  diet green tea enthusiasts. Their doubt was changed to a more positive reception when  subsequent  researchers  proved  the  disease-preventing  attributes  of  Chinese  diet green tea and confirmed most of the health claims.