By Dr. Mercola
Pure water is by far the ideal beverage of choice, but
high-quality tea can be a valuable addition. Not only does tea
rehydrate as well as water does, most teas also have additional
health benefits.1
High-quality tea—green tea in particular—contains polyphenol
antioxidants that are recognized for their disease prevention
and anti-aging properties. Polyphenols can account for up to 30
percent of the dry leaf weight of green tea.
Within the group of polyphenols are flavonoids, which contain
catechins. One of the most powerful catechins is
epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), found in green tea. EGCG has
been shown to positively impact a number of illnesses and
conditions.
Previous research2
has shown that green tea polyphenols act on molecular pathways
to shut down the production and spread of tumor cells. They also
discourage the growth of the blood vessels that feed the tumors.
EGCG even acts as an antiangiogenic and antitumor agent, and
helps modulate tumor cell response to chemotherapy.3
Study results also show EGCG can be helpful for the prevention
of arteriosclerosis, cerebral thrombus, heart attack, and
stroke—in part due to its ability to relax your arteries and
improve blood flow.4
Green Tea Lowers Blood Pressure Naturally
Some of the latest research in this area again confirms such
health benefits. After analyzing 25 randomized controlled
trials, the systematic review, published in the British
Journal of Nutrition in October5
concluded that long-term tea intake significantly improved blood
pressure. As reported in Time Magazine:6
“After 12 weeks of drinking tea, blood pressure was
lower by 2.6 mmHg systolic and 2.2 mmHg diastolic. Green tea
had the most significant results, while black tea performed
the next best...
Reducing systolic blood pressure by 2.6 mmHg ‘would
be expected to reduce stroke risk by 8 percent, coronary
artery disease mortality by 5 percent and all-cause
mortality by 4 percent at a population level...’”
While unable to determine exactly how much tea you need to
drink to receive these benefits, a number of previous studies
have suggested the ideal amount lies around three to four cups
of tea per day.7
For example, one 2007 study8
found “clear evidence” showing that three or more cups of tea—in
this case black tea—reduced the risk of coronary heart disease.
Similarly, drinking three to four cups of green tea daily has
been shown to promote heart and cardiovascular health,9
again courtesy of its ability to relax blood vessels and protect
against blood clots.
Green Tea—Helpful Against Obesity, Diabetes, and Alzheimer’s
Disease
There are certain compounds and nutrients that seem to have
near limitless health potential, and catechins are part of that
pack. Fortunately, high-quality green tea is an excellent source
of these antioxidants, making them easily available.
Besides its beneficial effects on your circulatory system,
previous studies have demonstrated that EGCG in particular has a
regulatory effect on fat metabolism, thereby increasing fat
oxidation and preventing obesity. It can even help improve
exercise performance.
One 2010 study10
evaluating EGCG’s potential in weight loss found it increases
fat oxidation by a respectable 33 percent. EGCG may also aid
weight loss by inhibiting fat cell development and increasing
fat excretion. Obesity and diabetes tend to go hand in hand, and
what is beneficial for one is usually beneficial for the other
as well.
Indeed, one animal study11
found that EGCG was as effective as the diabetic drug Avandia in
moderately diabetic mice, suggesting green tea, or a
high-quality green tea extract, could be helpful for the
prevention and/or treatment of diabetes.
Researchers have also discovered that green tea has the
potential to enhance the function of your brain, and prevent
age-associated brain degeneration.
Specifically, EGCG appears to decrease the production of the
protein beta-amyloid, which can over-accumulate in your brain,
resulting in nerve damage and memory loss over time12
– a condition related to Alzheimer’s disease.
In one study,13
published in 2005, researchers injected pure EGCG into mice
genetically programmed to develop Alzheimer’s; the results
showed a decrease of as much as 54 percent in the plaque
associated with Alzheimer’s.
Other Health Benefits of Green Tea
Catechins in green tea may also help protect against glaucoma
and other eye diseases. In one study,14
scientists analyzed eye tissue from rats that drank green tea
and found that eye tissues such as the lens and retina had in
fact absorbed green tea catechins.
According to the authors, oxidative stress causes biological
disturbances such as DNA damage and activation of proteolytic
enzymes that can lead to tissue cell damage or dysfunction—and,
eventually, ophthalmic diseases. Green tea catechins have also
been found to:
- Lower your
breast cancer risk
- Ease inflammation and pain associated with rheumatoid
arthritis (RA)15
- Reduce your risk of autoimmune diseases
- Promote healthy gums
-
Improve digestion
A botanical ointment containing a green tea extract was even
found to be an effective treatment for external genital and anal
warts, according to the results of one 2008 study.16
Genital and anal warts are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV),
and there has been a lack of effective, well tolerated
treatments.
The researchers assigned over 500 adults with up to 30 warts
to receive either an ointment containing sinecatechins, or a
placebo. In the sinecatechins groups, warts cleared completely
in roughly 57 percent of patients, compared to just 34 percent
of subjects in the control group.
Quality Green Tea Is Green
Out of the seemingly endless varieties of tea out there,
there is only a handful I would recommend drinking. My two
favorites are Matcha green tea and Tulsi—a powerful adaptogenic
herb that also provides important therapeutic benefits.
Green tea in general is among the least processed kinds of
tea, which is why it contains some of the highest amounts of
EGCG. Unlike other teas that you steep and strain, Matcha tea
comes in the form of a powder that you add right into the water.
Matcha tea can contain over 100 times the EGCG provided
by regular brewed green tea, and since you’re consuming the
entire ground tea leaf, you’re getting the most benefit
from each cup of tea you drink.
Besides being an excellent source of antioxidants, green tea
is also packed with vitamins A, D, E, C, B, B5, H, and K,
manganese, and other beneficial minerals such as zinc, chromium,
and selenium. A telltale sign of high quality is that the tea is
in fact green. If your green tea looks brown rather
than green, it’s likely been oxidized, which can damage or
destroy many of its most valuable compounds.
To boost the benefits of green tea, add a squirt of lemon
juice to your cup. Previous research has demonstrated that
vitamin C significantly increases the amount of catechins
available for your body to absorb. In fact, citrus juice
increased available catechin levels by more than five times,
causing 80 percent of tea's catechins to remain bioavailable!
Tea Can Be a Valuable Part of a Healthy Diet
If you enjoy green tea, by all means add a few cups to your
day. Just be sure to drink your green tea “straight.” Adding
sugar, milk, or other “embellishments” (one exception being some
citrus juice), will counter many of the benefits of the tea.
Again, green tea contains the most EGCG of all tea varieties,
and other than water, I believe high-quality green tea is one of
the most beneficial beverages you can consume.
Another excellent choice is Tulsi tea, which is also
chockfull of antioxidants. The complex and unique chemistry of
this aromatic herb also offers benefits that go over and beyond
that of other teas. Tulsi tea contains hundreds of beneficial
compounds known as phytochemicals—non-nutritive plant compounds
that have protective and health promoting properties. Working
together, these compounds possess potential antioxidant,
adaptogenic, and immune-enhancing properties that can fight
stress and help promote your general health in multiple ways,
including:
- Bolstering your immune system
- Providing you with a calming effect and relief from
occasional stress
- Promoting healthy metabolism
- Helping maintain optimal blood sugar levels
- Supporting normal cholesterol levels