Health Benefits of Green Tea
September 15, 2008
The Chinese have always touted green tea as having a large number of medical benefits even before the dawn of modern civilization. They have always used green tea to treat anything from depression to headaches and fever. Nowadays, various studies and scientific research have proven that the health benefits associated with green tea are indeed true.
For example, a study conducted by the National Cancer Institute back in 1994 indicated that the risk of esopagheal cancer in Chinese men and women have been reduced by as much as sixty percent due to regular drinking of Green tea. The researchers in University of Purdue, on the other hand, have successfully conducted a study that confirms green tea’s help in inhibiting the growth of cancer cells. Additionally, there were also studies that have posited a lowering of total cholesterol levels and improvement of good cholesterol levels due to religious drinking of green tea.
To sum it up, green tea has been proven to help prevent cases of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, high cholesterol levels, cardiovascular (heart related) diseases, weak immune functions, and helps prevent infections. This seemingly miraculous capability of green tea comes from the fact that it is rich in catechin polyphenols, which is a powerful anti-oxidant. It is one of the few natural anti-oxidants that can help kill cancer cells without harming healthy tissue, while preventing the growth of new ones.
The habit of drinking green tea among the Chinese is one of the contributing factors why they are regarded as being healthier than other races, and it would do a person good to adopt the habit and use it to replace coffee drinking and smoking.