Green Tea

First of all, I have to say my mother-in-law is a wise woman! She drinks green tea every day. She told me a couple of years ago that it helps lower cholesterol, but somehow it never made it into my routine. I am currently reading The Spectrum by Dr. Dean Ornish. He discusses green tea, and I had no idea there were as many health benefits as there are. The following are excerpts taken from his book.

"A study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association followed more than 40,000 Japanese men and women over a seven - to eleven - year period. They found that green tea consumption was associated with reduced mortality due to all causes except cancer. The more green tea they drank, the lower their risk of dying early. After seven years of follow-up, researchers found that the overall risk of premature death due to illness was 26% lower among those who consumed five or more cups of green tea a day than among those who drank less than one cup per day.

Interestingly, the effects of tea on reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease were caused not only by changes in traditional risk factors such as cholesterol levels or blood pressure; the polyphenols in green tea appear to have powerful antioxidant properties and are scavengers for free radicals that could otherwise damager your cells. These polyphenols may directly and beneficially affect coronary artery blockages, dilate arteries, and help reduce the formation of blood clots. Green tea also has significant anti-inflammatory effects."

"Although the Japanese researchers did not find that drinking tea reduced the risk of cancer, other studies have. Animal studies have shown that green tea may inhibit cancer formation in the skin, lung, oral cavity, esophagus, stomach, liver, kidney, prostate, and other organs. In humans, studies suggest that drinking tea may reduce the risk of digestive cancers."

"In earlier studies, researchers from the Harvard Boston Area Health Study showed that men and women who had consumed one or more cups of green tea per day in the previous year had a 44 percent lower risk of heart attack than those who drank no tea."

"Green tea catechins have also been reported to have antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal activity, especially in early stages of infection. Affected infections include some types of salmonella, Helicobacter Pylori, influenza virus, herpes simplex, and candida albicans. Also, green tea consumption has been associated with increased bone density and fewer hip fractures.

Some studies suggest that tea may help regulate your blood sugar and may even reduce the risk of diabetes. Flavonoids in tea may have both insulin-like and insulin-enhancing activities. According to Chinese Medicine, tea helps control obesity. A classical Chinese pharmaceutical book called Bencao Shiyi states, "Drinking tea for a long time will make one live long to stay in good shape without becoming too fat an too heavy." Tea may help reduce obesity by increasing metabolism, reducing fat absorption, activating enzymes, and reducing appetite.

If that isn't enough, drinking green tea may reduce your risk of cavities (especially if you don't add sugar) by inhibiting bacterial growth as well as potentially harmful enzymes in your mouth. Also, both green and black teas are natural sources of fluoride, which is why you may find tea as an ingredient in your toothpaste."