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Green Tea Brewing & Benefits

Mar 28, 2011 | By Renee Chan, MS, RD
Green Tea Brewing & Benefits
Photo Credit Chinese tea with mint image by lefebvre_jonathan from Fotolia.com

The production of green tea has played an important role in agricultural practices of Asia for most of its existence. Green tea brewing is viewed as an art form in many locations and commonly used as a beverage to invigorate the senses or stimulate digestion. Steeping a spoonful of green tea leaves in hot water releases epigallocatechin-3-gallate, a polyphenol that has shown its power in slowing down many disease processes within the body.

Green Tea and Degenerative Diseases

The polyphenols in tea can be protective against degenerative diseases. Research published in a 2008 issue of the "International Journal of Pharmacology" states that the polyphenols in green tea have reduced the effects of oxygen-derived free radicals associated with several chronic and stress-related diseases. In the review, EGCG is viewed as potent as vitamin C and vitamin E in its antioxidant activity, thus making it essential to the diet. Green tea can even help with the mood disorders that are associated with a lower prevalence of depressive symptoms in the elderly population.

Green Tea and Alzheimer's Disease

EGCG can be considered an agent useful against the neuroinflammation that is associated with the development or progression of Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's progresses when amyloid-beta plaques deposit around the neurons to cause degeneration in the brain. According to a study published in a 2010 issue of the "Journal of Neurochemistry," green tea catechins have been revealed potentially to prevent Alzheimer's because of their anti-amyloidogenic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These polyphenolic phytochemicals can also suppress Alzheimer's by stimulating adaptive cellular stress responses in the brain.

Green Tea and Age-Related Macular Degeneration

A study performed in Taipei that was published in a 2008 issue of "Molecular Vision" shows how the EGCG in green tea can protect several cell types from oxidative stress in the eye and prevent early age-related macular degeneration. Oxidative injury to the retinal pigment epithelium in the eye is a contributing factor to developing AMD as well as cell migration and adhesion to a protein called fibronectin in the eye. You are exposed to UVA without protection from sunglasses, and the EGCG in green tea has been shown to inhibit UVA-induced damage to the retinal pigment epithelial effectively by preventing cell migration and adhesion to fibronectin, therefore, lowering your risk of developing AMD.

Green Tea and Arthritis

Arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease that leads to progressive joint dysfunction. According to a 2010 published study in "Arthritis Research & Therapy," researchers from the University of Toledo found that the EGCG in green tea is bio-available after ingestion and contributes to the anti-inflammatory therapeutic activity in the joints. EGCG inhibits inflammatory activities by blocking the phosphorylation of cartilage cells and protects against catabolic mediators, which gives drinking green tea therapeutic value for inhibiting cartilage resorption in arthritic joints.

Green Tea and Osteoporosis

Green tea drinking is associated with an increased bone mineral density in women, which correlates with a lower risk of developing osteoporosis as you age. A study published in a 2007 issue of "Journal of Orthopaedic Science" focused on elderly Japanese women who had an active lifestyle, regular physical activity and who had a habit of drinking green tea at an osteoporosis outpatient clinic. These women had higher BMDs or an increase in the formation of mineralized bone, than those who did not have a green tea drinking habit. Green tea polyphenols can be considered a promising agent for preventing bone loss by reducing oxidative stress, increasing antioxidant capacity and decreasing inflammation.

Brewing and Warning

As with starting any regimen, consult your physician and dietitian before you begin a regular habit of drinking green tea. It is a source of caffeine, which stimulates the central nervous system, relaxes smooth muscle in the airways to the lungs, stimulates the heart, and acts on the kidneys as a diuretic to increase urine production. One cup of tea contains about 50 mg caffeine, depending on the strength of the tea, the length of steeping and the size of the cup. Brew green tea between the temperatures of 140 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit for two to three minutes to preserve its flavor and polyphenols without the risk of burning yourself.

References

Article reviewed by Helen Covington Last updated on: Mar 28, 2011

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