Is Green Tea Good For You?

Many people have asked, is green tea good for you? Well, the answer to this question is quite honestly yes. In fact, the health benefits of green tea are diversified, which is one reason why millions of people around the world everyday power up with green-tea consumption.

Let's begin to delve into the many health benefits of green tea so you can make an informed decision on whether or not green tea is good for you.

However, before we begin, we would like to express that many Naturopaths and other like minded experts do believe green tea harbors many health enhancing benefits. Now, with that being said, let's address your question of is green tea good for you?

First, the properties that have helped green tea's claim to fame are a group of compounds known as polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). These polyphenols are potent antioxidants. In fact, researchers found EGCG to be 200 times more powerful than the well renowned antioxidant vitamin E in neutralizing free radicals.

Antioxidants are disease-fighting substances that mop up the continuous onslaught of free radicals. Free radicals are unstable oxygen molecules that damage cells as they travel through the body and are thought to be instrumental in causing cancer, aging, and many degenerative diseases, including atherosclerosis and heart disease if left unchecked.

In addition, green tea is an excellent immune system booster due to its powerful antioxidant strength and, as such, many health enthusiasts take green tea daily to promote general health a well-being.

If you're still asking yourself is green tea good for you, we have more health benefits of green tea as a possible cancer fighter. A number of animal studies have shown that green tea's polyphenols may offer great protection against various forms of cancers like pancreas, colon, stomach, lung, breast, and small intestine. However, what's more exciting, is that several population studies have also linked green-tea consumption with significantly lower rates of cancer.

Among the arsenal of possible health benefits of green tea, is that it may be a heart disease fighter. There are preliminary studies that suggest that green tea fights heart disease by keeping the arteries and cholesterol healthy. Population-based studies indicate that green tea's antioxidant properties may help prevent atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), which is the gradual buildup of plague (deposits made up of cholesterol, other fats, and calcium) that can clog the arteries. Eventually, diminished blood flow can "starve" the heart muscle and lead to angina (chest pain). A complete blockage can cause a heart attack.

If you suffer from high cholesterol and have been wandering is green tea good for you, research shows that green tea lowers total cholesterol and raises HDL ("good") cholesterol in both animals and people.

According to the well renowned tome, "The Natural Physician's Healing Therapies," written by Mark Stengler, N.D. who states:

"A study of 1,371 Japanese men showed that a high consumption of green tea (more than 10 cups daily) was associated with lower cholesterol levels. This quantity of green tea actually raised the level of HDL, which is "good cholesterol," while sharply lowering the concentration of lower LDL or "bad cholesterol." (page 247). Indeed, "down with the bad up with the good." 

If you're still pondering the question is green tea good for you, we have possible teeth health benefits. Green tea contains the cavity fighter, fluoride, so if you're searching for ways to fight tooth decay, try sipping on a cup of green tea. Moreover, both animal and human studies have shown that green tea's polyphenols prevent the growth of bacteria that promotes plague and cavities.

Many people are interested in knowing is green tea good for you in regards to weight-loss. Swiss researchers have preliminary evidence that green tea accelerates the burning of fat calories in individuals who are overweight. However, green tea requires more well-designed and controlled clinical studies to validate its effectiveness and safety as a weight loss aid.

Green tea has also been used to promote digestive health and as part of a detoxification program.

Clearly, green tea's possible health benefits exuberates excellence.

Now that we have answered your question is green tea good for you, how much do you need to drink to reap the health benefits of green tea?

There has been conflicting information, including research as to how many cups one should drink daily to reap green tea's cancer prevention benefits. As such, recommendations by experts range from 3 to 4 cups to as much as 5 to 10 cups daily. On the other hand, studies showing tea's cancer preventive benefits, participants drank more than 5 cups a day and sometimes even more than 10 and, as such, it may be hard to achieve if you are sensitive to caffeine.

For those of you sensitive to caffeine, green tea is available in a decaffeinated tea form.

It's important to note that green tea extract supplements have far less caffeine than the tea -- and it is also available in a decaffeinated form, while preserving all of the health benefits of green tea.

For those of you who are not tea drinkers, or simply do not like the taste of green tea, you may want to consider taking supplements.

For detailed info on what to look for when buying green tea in a beverage or supplement form to ensure quality, please visit us on the web at our Is Green Tea Good For You page.

Cindy Amorin is the chief editor of Nutritional-Supplement-Educational-Centre.com an information-rich site that discusses nutritional, dietary, and herbal supplements and their potential therapeutic value.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/613714

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