Health Benefits of Green Tea
Green tea and its extract have been shown to fight
obesity and lower
LDL "bad" cholesterol -- two risk factors for heart disease and diabetes -- but in very limited studies. One study in the Netherlands and a study in Japan showed that green tea did both.
Marji McCullough, ScD, RD, the American Cancer Society's strategic director of nutritional epidemiology, says human studies haven't yet proven what researchers like Chan have discovered in the lab: green tea's EGCG regulates and inhibits cancer growth and kills cells that are growing inappropriately.
Still, it's difficult not to be intrigued by a few human studies that have shown that drinking at least two cups of green tea daily inhibits cancer growth.
One of them, a study conducted in Japan that involved nearly 500 Japanese women with Stage I and Stage II
breast cancer, found that increased green tea consumption before and after surgery was associated with lower recurrence of the cancers.
Green Tea's Powerful Antioxidants
Green tea's antioxidants, called catechins, scavenge for free radicals that can damage DNA and contribute to cancer, blood clots, and
atherosclerosis. Grapes and berries, red wine, and dark chocolate also have potent antioxidants.
Green Tea Diet
Green Tea Cleanse
Green Tea Vitamins
