Why Green Tea Really Is So Healthy

I've spent nearly all of this month hawking the benefits of tea. I can't even do it enough, there are so many! So, needless to say, I have a little more to impart.

What is considered the crux of green tea's nutritional powerhouse position is an antioxidant called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). Sounds a little scary, doesn't it? But hear me out. Because green tea isn't fermented, it retains its EGCG, which allows it to be available to neutralize free radicals. This means it might reduce the risk of cancer, because studies suggest that EGCG inhibits the proliferation of cancer cells and interferes with tumor metabolism.

Those same antioxidants that are present in tea also help the heart by reducing levels of LDL, the bad cholesterol, and relaxing arteries to improve blood flow.

This antioxidant's antibacterial properties might also stave off gum disease and tooth decay and reduce bad breath.

The combination of caffeine with EGCG may also boost metabolism.

Aren't these all things I've said previously? They are. But maybe this explains it just a bit better.

So, drink up! Cook with it! Heck, bathe in it! But mostly, just enjoy it!

Green and white fusion tea.

And once the tea is gone, I get to see this at the bottom of the cup:

Green Tea and Your Heart

Well, since I'm on a roll about tea and weight loss, I'll just continue this with a post about heart health. It is January, after all, and typically this is the month more people decide to make changes regarding their health. True, most don't even last the month, but this is tea!

A study in China discovered that giving consuming more green tea extract lowered cholesterol and triglycerides. Now, again, this is green tea extract and not the actual tea, so please don't run out and buy pills. Remember how I said a couple of days ago that researchers believe it is the polyphenols, and not the caffeine, that affects metabolism. This usually means, and many doctors suggest as much, that the best way to get the benefits from plants is to consume them as food, not pills.

Everyone knows high cholesterol and high triglycerides can damage the heart. So researchers have also begun to study how tea may improve heart health. A study in Boston found that drinking one cup a day (or more) may reduce the risk of heart attack by 44%. Another study, this one done in the Netherlands, found that people who drank four cups of tea a day had significantly less plaque buildup in their arteries than those that drank two or fewer cups a day. Many population based studies have also indicated that people who drink black tea have lower total cholesterol, lower ldl and higher hdl cholesterol. Some doctors suggest folks should drink at least three cups of tea a day.

Now, please, please, please, I am NOT a doctor, or even a medical professional. I am just a lover of tea. I post these studies as something for you to think about and maybe share with your doctor, but in NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM, do I believe you should forgo seeing your health professional to discuss your state of health.

I am ONLY suggesting that you drink more tea because it is delicious. If there really are health benefits associated with this very pleasant pastime, all the better.

In that vein, my daily mug and tea:

Constant Comment. Because it is divine.