Green Tea – A Health Miracle in a Teacup?

Aside from medicinal value, green tea can also offer other health benefits, especially in the fitness field.

Drinking green tea can cause a person to burn down more calories.

A recent study on the health benefits of green tea shows that the drink can help dieters. According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1999, men who take both caffeine and green tea burn down more calories than men who only take caffeine or a placebo.

Recent findings show that the antioxidants in Chinese green tea can reduce cholesterol levels in a person; can improve how blood vessels function; and can reduce blood lipids.

It was also discovered that Chinese green tea can have an anti-inflammatory effects and may provide protection against cardiovascular diseases.

Another health benefit of green tea is its bacteria-destroying properties. The health benefit of green tea in this area is that it can help prevent food poisoning and also prevent tooth decay. The substances found in green tea kill the bacteria causing food poisoning and those that cause dental plaque to form.

Research has also showed that Chinese green tea drinkers have a better propensity for weight loss. Drinking Chinese green tea allows the body to burn an additional 70 calories a day, a feat that weight loss enthusiasts would relish.

Well known for its countless medicinal and health benefits, green tea is nothing short of a miracle.

There are only a few herbs that can surpass the impressive history of Chinese diet green tea. Dating back more than 4,000 years, Chinese diet green tea has been long revered as a tasty drink that can ward off diseases and improve one's well-being.

Since its first recorded use during the time of Emperor Shen Nung, the link between Chinese diet green tea and good health has never been severed. Today, further studies are made to test the benefits of the remarkable health elixir that is Chinese diet green tea.

Traditional Health Benefits of Chinese Diet Green Tea

According to tradition, Chinese diet green tea could cure anything from headaches, body aches, and pains to constipation and depression. Over the centuries, further more health claims are made on account of Chinese diet green tea.

Chinese diet green tea is said to increase the blood flow throughout the body. Because Chinese diet green tea contains a little caffeine, ingesting this drink stimulates the heart and allows the blood to flow more freely through the blood vessels. For the same reason that Chinese diet green tea stimulates blood flow, it also stimulates mental clarity.

Chinese diet green tea detoxifies the body. The presence of polyphenols, a naturally occurring antioxidant in Chinese diet green tea, the beverage is said to combat harmful free radicals and help keep the body free from diseases. In this regard,

Chinese diet green tea helps maintain the overall well-being of the body. Antioxidants in Chinese diet green tea can boost immunity, preserve young-looking skin, and brighten the eyes.

Chinese diet green tea aids in digestion and banishes fatigue. Chinese diet green tea is also said to prolong the lifespan.

For many years, men of science remained skeptical about the health claims made by Chinese diet green tea enthusiasts. Their doubt was changed to a more positive reception when subsequent researchers proved the disease-preventing attributes of Chinese diet green tea and confirmed most of the health claims.

Chinese Diet Green Tea and the Heart


Study after study has shown that drinking Chinese diet green tea and eating polyphenol-rich foods reduces the risk of any heart complications.

Drinking Chinese diet green tea also helps strengthen the blood vessels that provide oxygen and valuable nutrients to the heart and brain.

It has been shown that men who drink Chinese diet green tea have 75 percent less possibility of having a stroke than those who don't drink Chinese diet green tea.

Chinese diet green tea helps lower total cholesterol levels and improve the ratio between LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol. Study shows that men who drink nine or more cups of Chinese diet green tea daily have lower cholesterol levels than those who drink fewer than two cups.

Chinese Diet Green Tea and Longevity

The role of Chinese diet green tea in promoting longevity has been investigated upon by many researchers. They found the premise of their study on observing that Japanese women who are greater-than-average Chinese diet green tea drinkers; have lower mortality rates compared to others.

This led the researchers to believe that Chinese diet green tea has "a protective factor against premature death."

The polyphenols found in Chinese diet green tea may be held accountable. With its high amount of polyphenols, Chinese diet green tea seems to have a stimulating effect on the immune system.

Stronger immune system as a result of drinking Chinese diet green tea helps reduce risks of acquiring any illnesses.

Researches have been conducted over the last few years to identify what compound present in green tea makes it a potent health drink.

The scientists have found that green tea contains several antioxidants which are responsible for many of green tea's health benefits, including weight loss benefit.

A research study by American and Swiss scientists on the weight loss benefit of green tea was concluded and the results of which were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Urology.

During the course of their study, they have found that green tea contains certain compounds that contribute to its weight loss benefit.

Lead researcher, D. Abdul Dulloo said in a press release that there are only two ways to achieve weight loss - either reduce energy intake or increase energy expenditure. Green tea, it seems, has compounds that can increase the body's normal metabolism rate, thus giving it its weight loss benefit.

At the University of Geneva, where the study was conducted, Dr. Dulloo and his colleagues experimented on ten healthy young men. They theorized that the main contributor to green tea's weight loss benefit is its caffeine content. To test this hypothesis on green tea's weight loss benefit, they placed the study's participants on a typical "Western" diet which is about forty percent fat, thirteen percent protein, and forty-seven percent carbohydrates.

Thrice everyday, the researchers measured their subjects' energy expenditure (the measurement used in determining the number of calories burned in 24 hours) and monitored their respiration quotient to find out how well they utilized their carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

When they interpreted the data they collected, they found out that the men receiving regular dosages of green tea extract showed a significant increase in their 24-hour energy expenditure and a reduction in their respiration quotient (which means that more fat is burned, thereby achieving maximum weight loss). On the other hand, those men who were only given caffeine or placebo with every meal showed only minimal increases in their metabolism rates.

The scientists construed that the substance catechin polyphenol present in green tea adds to its weight loss benefit. These substances in green tea may alter how the body uses the hormone norepinephrine which is responsible for increasing the metabolism rate, thus leading to weight loss.

In their conclusion, the scientists inferred that green tea owes its weight loss benefit to the presence of antioxidants and the substance catechin polyphenol. These substances help increase fat and calorie burning and optimize weight loss.

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