Health Benefits of Green Tea

Imagine life without water. That would be no life at all because survival is hardly possible after a few days of having no water inside our body. No matter how important water is, any one of us cannot just do away from drinking other beverages. For teens, sodas are a staple in their daily diet. Aside from teens, people who have hectic schedules, having no time to prepare their foods have to resort to fast food chains where sodas are served in every meal. It is a fact that sodas have negative impact on our health because of the amount of acid and caffeine they contain.
Knowing this fact, a lot of consumers nowadays are resorting to herbal beverages that are definitely contained with nutritional value. These herbal beverages are commonly known as teas.

If you are a tea addict or a tea addict wanabe, you ought to know how teas can make you healthy. In this page, you are going to find out the health benefits of one tea which is most popular in eastern Asia region- green tea.

Green tea is found to have anti-oxidant and anti-cancer properties. The nutritional substances contained in it are called polyphenols which are known for exhibiting antioxidant and cancer-combating effects. It is found out that almost all polyphenols contained in green tea are catechins. The chief catechins found in green tea are galocatechin, epicatechin, epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) which is a more potent antioxidant than vitamins C and E.

There are numerous studies conducted by different research teams that proved the effectiveness of green tea in curing diseases specifically cancers. In 1989, a study conducted in Japan revealed that stomach cancer mortality rates were lower in regions where most green teas were produced and mostly consumed by people. A similar study conducted in China came up with the same general findings. The findings include decrease in the risks of stomach cancer for Chinese who consumed green tea regularly.
Another study done in China revealed that green tea played a significant role in reducing the risks for cancers of the colon, rectum and pancreas. A similar study which was conducted in Japan in 1997 came up with the same finding that drinking 10 cups of green tea a day provided the body with protection from cancers in all organs including liver, lungs, colon and rectum.

In 1998, a study conducted in patients with breast cancers stages 1 and 2 found out that patients who drank more than five cups of green tea a day had lower recurrence rate compared with patients who drank green tea less than five cups a day. A similar study done in women living in Los Angeles revealed that green tea drinkers had reduced risk of breast cancers than those who were non-tea drinkers.

In 1999, there was another study that revealed the capability of green tea to decrease the levels of specific lipid compounds which are believed to be agents in the development rectal cancer. The Iowa Women’s Health Study conducted also a research on postmenopausal women that reaffirmed the capability of catechins contained in green tea to prevent rectal cancer.

Aside from the cancers mentioned above, green tea can also reduce the risk for prostate cancer. This is proven through a case-control study conducted in China.
Up to this time, researchers are still conducting studies in order to find out what other cancers and diseases green tea can prevent.
For its ability to prevent cancers, green tea should be a must-have in everyone’s diet. If you want to get rid of cancer-causing agents in your body, drink several cups of green tea everyday.