List of Health Benefits of Green Tea

Green tea enthusiasts assert that there are many green tea health benefits. The Chinese have been using green tea for its amazing health benefits for thousands of years to treat everything from headaches to depression and some of those claims are now starting to be verified by scientific research.

Cancer Health Benefit: The Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of a study in 1994 which indicated that drinking green tea health benefits reduced the risk of oesophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly sixty percent. In addition, researchers researching green tea health benefits at the University of Purdue concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells adding to its amazing health benefits properties.
Cholesterol Health Benefit: Some research indicates that a health benefit of green tea can lower your overall cholesterol levels. It improves the ratio of HDL cholesterol (that’s the good kind) to LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) adding to the list of green tea health benefits.

Weight Loss Health Benefit: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the results in 1999 of a study conducted at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. University researchers found that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract burned more calories than those given only caffeine or a placebo. In other words the green tea health benefit accentuated the stimulant properties of caffeine which raise the metabolic rate.

Tooth Decay: Green tea health benefits kills the bacteria that causes dental plaque, thus helping to prevent tooth decay which is another factor of green tea.

Infection: Green tea health benefits anti-bacterial properties mean that it can also be used to fight infections and to prevent food poisoning. Skin preparations containing green tea - from deodorants to creams - are starting to appear on the market.

The benefits you can get from health benefits of green tea arise because it is great in antioxidants, in particular EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate). EGCG is a powerful anti-oxidant that can inhibit, or even stop, the growth of cancer cells without destroying healthy tissue. EGCG has also been shown to be effective in LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots that cause of heart attacks and strokes.

EGCG is powerful as another beneficial antioxidant called resveratrol. This antioxidant occurs in red wine and is the main reason why have a lower incidence of heart disease, even though have a diet rich in fats and red meat.

The other part of the secret behind health benefits of green tea is that the Camellia sinensis tea plant are steamed when they are processed. Black tea and oolong tea and are made from the leaves of the same Camellia sinensis plant but the leaves are fermented during processing. The fermentation means the EGCG is converted into other compounds that are not as beneficial.
Green tea does contain caffeine, however it contains less than coffee approx one third to just over half the amount for the same weight. Green tea has been recognized for its curative properties for thousands of years. The benefits of green tea can certainly do you no harm, except to keep you awake at night if you drink too much, whether because of the caffeine or the frequent trips to the bathroom.