Benefits of Green Tea
Tea is one of the one of the most popular beverages if not the most popular beverage on earth. A 2012 report says that, tea is the number two most consumed beverages after water in the whole world. This shows the rate of consumption of tea by people and how important it is to us. Various societies have embraced the role tea plays in their day do day lives. For example, the British have ‘tea time’ and various Asian communities have ancient tea ceremonies.
Green tea is preferred to black or white tea, because of the health benefits associated with green tea. It also has a great taste and is easily palatable. Green tea leaves originate from the normal tea leaves but they are processed differently from the black tea leaves. They are usually steamed, and this leaves a higher concentration of certain antioxidants, like epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG. These antioxidants are the reason why green tea is widely promoted for its health benefits. The anti-oxidants in the green tea have the ability to stimulate faster weight loss. The EGCG has collaborates with the central nervous system and releases fats into the bloodstream. The body uses the fat as fuel especially in metabolic processes and this process is referred to as thermogenesis. Thermogenesis is caused by caffeine, but EGCG acts as a catalyst in that process. This implies that the consumption of green tea leads to faster weight loss.
Another benefit of green tea is that it helps in the cardiovascular system. Drinking green tea is known to help in the prevention of heart diseases. Research has shown that the antioxidants in green tea help in blocking the oxidation of “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and increasing the “good” (HDL) cholesterol, which helps improve artery function and keeps the heart free from any complications.
The graph below shows the relationship between the consumption of green tea and its effect on cholesterol levels.
The graph is taken from the website http://www.healthaliciousness.com and it is in the reference list.
Green tea also helps in the fight against various forms of cancer. The antioxidants in green tea can help protect the body against several types of cancer. It can reduce the risk of esophageal cancer. Research has also shown that the antioxidants can kill cancer cells in general without damaging the healthy tissues around them. It has also been proven that tea polyphenols inhibit tumor cells proliferation.
In conclusion, it is now clearly evident that green tea is better as compared to black or white tea, because of the various health benefits it has. From today, purpose to take green tea on a daily routine.
Reference List
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NHS Evidence, 2012. How much does green tea lower my cholesterol? [online] Available at: <http://www.healthaliciousness.com/blog/How-much-does-green-tea-lower-cholesterol.php> [Accessed 4 March 2014]
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