Green tea is Antioxidants central!

Green tea has become very popular in the last few years. Green tea has many health benefits and there are lots of reasons to drink it on a daily basis.

Green tea is prepared by drying freshly picked leaves. Black tea is made from the same tea leaves, however, they are "sweated" before they dry - a process that helps develop a deeper flavor. However, the fermentation process destroys some of the active components to the tea leaves, leaving black tea to have less health benefits than green tea. Therefore, green tea is higher in compounds that are associated with the health benefits.

The green tea compounds that make the drink so healthy are called polyphenols and flavonols, specifically known as catechins. These catechins found in green tea are the same chemical compounds found in other plants that have antioxidant activity.

Antioxidants are compounds that help the body guard against the damaging effects of free radicals. Antioxidants are very powerful against many diseases: cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's, just to name a few. And green tea is packed full of them, almost 90 percent of green tea has these particular catechins. That's powerful!

Several of these catechins that are present in green tea are known as the EGCGs. They are known to be the most biologically active antioxidants and are 25 to 100 times more potent than vitamins C and E.

The EGCGs and green tea have been studied to show an association with their consumption and overall cancer and heart disease risk. There have been many studies conducted that show green tea's powerful antioxidant action protects against cell damage and can decrease the growth of cancerous tumors. Study after study demonstrates that people with larger intakes of flavonoids have decreased risk of cancer.

Higher consumption of green tea has also been linked to lower incidences of cardiovascular disease. There are mixed reviews on if green tea can actually lower LDL cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein), however, the action of the antioxidants just seems to be overall heart healthy.

However, with many of these studies, there is no conclusive evidence. But even with the absence of a totally conclusive study, there is general consensus that green tea is good for one's well-being.

So a cup or two of green tea is recommended. A cup of green tea provides about 100 to 200 mg of polyphenols and has antioxidant activity greater than a serving of broccoli! So sit back, relax and enjoy that fresh cup of green tea.