All tea plants belong to the species Camellia sinensis. According to The World's Healthiest Foods, the way tea leaves are processed is what determines the character and flavor of the tea. Green tea--the least processed--has the highest levels of antioxidants; thus, drinking green tea offers drinkers a wealth of health benefits. Green tea contains the least caffeine of all teas, but you should still discuss your intake with your doctor, especially if you are pregnant.
Antioxidant Properties
Green tea may be more beneficial than any other beverage, including water. Not only does it rehydrate the body as well as water, but it delivers valuable antioxidant polyphenols, including a catechin called epigallocatechin-3-gallate. This substance, abbreviated as EGCG, is probably responsible for most of the health benefits green tea provides. The World's Healthiest Foods notes that catechins are antioxidants in their own right, capable of scavenging harmful free radicals in the body. Herbs 2000 notes that 3 cups of green tea a day provide you with 240 to 320mg of polyphenols daily.
Chemopreventative Effects
Green tea's beneficial effects extend to possibly combating and preventing cancer. The EGCG appears to arrest growth in cancerous cells, but does not affect normal cells. According to, The World's Healthiest Foods, an analysis of 13 studies published in "Carcinogenesis" showed that green tea may reduce the risk of breast cancer with green tea drinkers having 22 percent less risk than non-drinkers.
In a clinical study conducted by MR Sartippour and colleagues and published in the 2001 issue of "Nutrition and Cancer," researchers found that a green tea extract inhibited the growth of breast cancer cells. The World's Healthiest Foods notes that beneficial effects have also been shown with prostate cancer and that green tea enhances survival in women with ovarian cancer as well. In addition, green tea may provide some protective effects against lung and colorectal cancer.
Lowers Incidence of Disease
The World's Healthiest Foods notes that green tea drinkers may have lower risk of disease. Protective effects seem to extend to bacterial and viral infections, stroke, heart disease, periodontal disease and osteoporosis. In a clinical study conducted by S. Kuriyama and colleagues and published in the September 2006 issue of "Journal of American Medicine," researchers found that drinking green tea lowers the risk of death from all many diseases, including cardiovascular disease; however, this study did not show a reduced rate of deaths from cancer.
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, green tea lowers total cholesterol while raising the level of HDL, or "good" cholesterol. Herbs 2000 notes green tea may cut cholesterol levels and polyphenols in the tea can help strengthen blood vessel walls.
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