Known widely for its health benefits, green tea is recommended by many leading health advocates for such reasons as prevention of premature aging and disease. Since learning of green tea's power, people have raised questions about how much is needed for health benefits and how they may incorporate more tea into their diets. Green tea powder has been touted as an alternative for providing all the benefits of regular green tea in a much smaller volume. Made from finely milled green tea leaves, the powder may contain up to 10 times the amount of polyphenols found in a cup of steeped green tea.
Blood Glucose Control
More than 25.8 million Americans have diabetes. For the majority with type 2 diabetes, green tea powder may assist with blood glucose management. The polyphenols and catechins in green tea powder have been shown to lower blood glucose levels by increasing the body's ability to use glucose for energy, decreasing the amount of glucose the body absorbs, and limiting the amount of glucose produced by the body. Researchers described such findings in a study in the August 2008 "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition." Study participants given green tea powder experienced significant improvements in their hemoglobin A1C levels, a common measure of long-term blood glucose management.
Anti-Cancer
Antioxidants are effective anti-carcinogens. The great number of polyphenols present in green tea powder include epigallocatechin gallate, one of the most potent cancer-fighting antioxidants. EGCG works by binding with cancer-promoting free radicals, preventing them from causing destruction to the body's DNA. EGCG has also demonstrated anti-angiogenic properties, meaning it literally starves cancer cells by terminating blood supply to rapidly growing tumors. ECGC is showing such great potential that TV doctor Dr. Oz has recommended green tea powder as one of the top foods for cancer prevention.
Increased Bone Density
Tea drinking has been shown to increase bone density and reduce risk of hip fractures. Studies specifically focusing on the consumption of green tea and bone density indicate that EGCG is effective in attenuating bone loss and may actually increase bone density. Green tea powder's high concentration of EGCG makes it especially valuable for bone health. In both animal and human studies, the polyphenols found in green tea powder have been credited with improving bone density by a number of mechanisms. One is the antioxidant properties to protect bone from oxidative stress, a known factor in bone loss.
Flu Prevention
Every year influenza claims the lives of thousands, forces millions to miss work and school and costs the health care system billions of dollars to treat. Experimental studies have long shown that the catechins in green tea are effective in preventing influenza infection. A recent study reported in the February 2011 "BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine" found the components of green tea beneficial in preventing influenza among health care workers. Study participants received roughly the same daily dose of catechins found in one serving of green tea powder.
References
- "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Randomized Controlled Trial for an Effect of Green Tea-Extract Powder Supplementation on Glucose Abnormalities"; N. Aoki, et al.; 2008.
- Ask Dr. Oz; Cancer Edition, Part 1 (Video); Mehmet Oz, M.D.
- "Nutrition Research"; Green Tea and Bone Metabolism; Chwan-Li Shen, et al.; July 2009
- "The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry"; Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate Increases the Formation of Mineralized Bone Nodules by Human Osteoblast-Like Cells"; Bahareh Vali; May 2007
- "BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine"; Effects of Green Tea Catechins and Theanine on Preventing Influenza Infection among Healthcare Workers ...; Keiji Matsumoto, et al.; February 2011
- American Diabetes Association: Diabetes Statistics
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