As one of the world's most popular drinks, tea, including green tea, has a place in the daily habits of millions of women each day. Made from brewing camelia sinensis leaves in hot water, green tea contains a number of beneficial compounds but most attention remains firmly focused on the catechin content. A sub-group of polyphenols, these catechins can improve body composition, balance estrogen levels and support the liver function.
Fat Burning
Green tea demonstrates an impressive ability to burn fat. David Tolson, a nutritional researcher who writes for BulkNutrition.com, explains how the catechins in the beverage can increase thermogenesis by inhibiting the breakdown of noradrenaline in the central nervous system. Increased thermogenesis, which refers to the procedure through which the body burns fat to maintain body temperature, can significantly raise the metabolic rate and help burn more fat.
Estrogen Balance
Estrogen plays an important role in the health of females, from providing cardiovascular protection to coordinating a healthy menstrual cycle and stimulating mental function. However, when estrogen levels become excessive problems can occur, which include PMS and increased risk of breast cancer. Researchers from the University of Southern California looked into green tea's effect on estrogen levels, and found the drink could help manage higher levels of estrogen by metabolizing the hormone into less harmful intermediates. Their results, published in the "International Journal of Cancer" in 2003, showed that green tea significantly reduced the incidence of breast cancer whereas black tea did not.
Liver Support
The catechins in green tea act as potent anti-oxidants in the body, especially epigallocatechin-gallate or EGCG. This anti-oxidant function becomes especially useful in the liver, where it protects the organ from the damaging effects of dealing with toxic chemicals and free radicals. Researchers from the University of Maryland Medical Center report how green tea can reduce inflammation in the liver and that higher consumption of the herbal drink can reduce the incidence of disorders of this organ.
Member Comments