Throughout the world, no beverage, other than water, is consumed more frequently than tea, according to an article in "Preventive Medicine." While many unique types of teas exist, few have gained such popularity or prestige as green tea. One particular form of green tea, often known as genmaicha, is made when the leaves from the Camellia sinensis plant are combined with roasted brown rice. Not only is unpolished rice green tea delicious, but it has numerous health benefits as well.
Increased Metabolism
Of the many benefits of unpolished rice green tea, few can resist the lure of an increased metabolism. This particular type of tea happens to be very high in polyphenols called epigallocatechin gallate, a potent antioxidant that can actually inhibit the catechol-O-methyl-transferase enzyme, which acts as the main enzyme responsible for the degradation of norepinephrine. By elevating your natural levels of norepinephrine, green tea can actually increase the number of calories that you burn at rest. According to a study performed by Abdul Dulloo and colleagues, researchers at the University of Geneva, subjects who were given a green tea extract gained a significant increase in resting energy expenditure compared to those who consumed either a placebo or a plain caffeine pill. Clearly, if a high metabolism is something you are after, consuming unpolished rice green tea may be beneficial.
Reduced Stress
Along with increasing metabolism, unpolished rice green tea can also be valuable for decreasing stress. Green tea is made from a plant called the Camellia sinensis, which is very high in an amino acid known as theanine. Theanine has the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, and can often stimulate the release of relaxing neurotransmitters such as dopamine and gamma-aminobutyric acid. In fact, a study from Atsushi Hozawa and colleagues, researchers at Tohuku University Graduate School of Medicine, found that simply consuming five or more cups per day of green tea can decrease one's risk of suffering from symptoms of distress by as much as 20 percent. For those who often find themselves stressed out, unpolished rice green tea may be a good solution.
Decreased Risk of Cancer
In addition to decreasing stress, unpolished rice green tea may also be able to decrease one's risk of cancer as well. Urokinase, a compound whose presence has been shown to have a very strong association with cancer, acts on plasminogen in order to invoke activities that may eventually lead to malignant tumor growth. Fortunately, however, the antioxidants found in green tea have been shown to bind to urokinase, which prevents it from recognizing plasminogen and thus decreases the risk of developing a tumor. With a decrease in urokinase activity, it should be no surprise that multiple studies performed by Kazue Imai and colleagues of the Saitama Cancer Center Research Institute have found a significantly negative association between green tea consumption and the onset of cancer. Furthermore, the brown rice added to the tea may also decrease one's risk of cancer, as brown rice has been shown to be very high in important minerals such as selenium. According to studies done by Tara Vogt and colleagues, there appears to be a significantly negative correlation between selenium consumption and the onset of prostate cancer. With a decreased risk of cancer, as well as many other significant health benefits, consuming unpolished rice green tea may be one of the best choices you can make for your health.
References
- "Preventive Medicine"; Green tea composition, consumption, and polyphenol chemistry; HN. Graham; May 1992
- "International Journal of Obesity Related Metabolic Disorders"; Green tea and thermogenesis: interactions between catechin-polyphenols, caffeine, and sympathetic activity; A. Dulloo, et al; February 2000
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Efficacy of a green tea extract rich in catechin polyphenols and caffeine in increasing 24-h energy expenditure and fat oxidation in humans; A. Dulloo, et al; 1999
- "Neurochemical Research"; Effect of theanine, r-glutamylethylamide, on brain monoamines and striatal dopamine release in conscious rats; Yokogoshi H; 1998. "Nutrition Reviews"; Psychological effects of dietary components of tea: caffeine and L-theanine; B. Janet; 2008.
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Green tea consumption is associated with lower psychological distress in a general population: the Ohsaki Cohort 2006 Study; A. Hozawa, et al; 2009
- "Nature"; Why drinking green tea could prevent cancer; J. Jankun, et al; 1997
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