According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, tea has been cultivated as a crop for almost 5,000 years. It is the second most popular beverage after water. There are three primary varieties of tea--black, oolong and green. Green tea is prepared from unfermented tea leaves. In recent years, green tea's health benefits have been explored by scientists and nutritionists. Green tea is now a popular supplement that can be taken in both decaffeinated tablet and tea forms.
Antioxidants
Green tea is loaded with beneficial antioxidants, which are compounds that fight the effects of free radicals on your body. Free radicals are harmful substances that can cause damage to your cells, cause cancer and increase the effects of aging, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, or UMMC. The main component in green tea that has antioxidant effects are polyphenols, which may have a stronger effect than other antioxidants such as vitamin C. While some of the polyphenol content is lost in the decaffeination process, the amount lost depends on the type of decaffeination process used, according to Teas Etc. When green tea is decaffeinated using a CO2 process, 95 percent of the polyphenols remain intact.
Cancer Protection
According to both the University of Maryland Medical Center and WH Foods, green tea provides a number of benefits in preventing or protecting you from the development of different types of cancer, including colorectal, ovarian, prostate and lung cancers. The protective ability of green tea against cancer is primarily due to the content of polyphenols. WH Foods article states that green polyphenols act as catalyst for apoptosis, which is another word for cell suicide. Polyphenols appear to only cause this reaction in cancerous cells and avoid killing healthy cells. Teas that decaffeinated using a CO2 process retain more of these powerful substances, while green tea that is decaffeinated using the more popular ethyl acetate method contain a much lower amount of polyphenols, according to Teas Etc.
Prevents Heart Disease
Atherosclerosis is a disease caused by damage to the walls of your arteries. According to the American Heart Association, this disease is often caused by high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking and elevated levels of triglycerides. Green tea may help to prevent atherosclerosis. Although researchers aren't quite sure exactly why this is, the University of Maryland Medical Center article on green tea points out that it is most likely due to its high content of antioxidants. Again, decaffeinated tea can offer the same benefit in this area as regular green tea, but it depends largely on the decaffeination method used. If you are concerned about caffeine levels, you might consider taking a caffeine-free green tea supplement, available in most drug stores in tablet form.
Member Comments