Reduce Cholesterol, Cardiovascular Disease, Fight Cancer With Green Tea

Health experts can't seem to stop raving about Green Tea and its many positive benefits for us. What's all the fuss about and how can drinking two cups of Green Tea everyday help you?

The health benefits of Green Tea may be fairly new to us, but they certainly are not to the Chinese who raved about its medicinal benefits going back more than 4,000 years. Back then, Green Tea was believed to have miraculous powers and the ability to cure anything ranging from headaches to prolonging one's longevity. Today, extensive studies are being conducted into better understanding Green Tea, its health boosting properties and how it can help us fight off deadly diseases such as cancer. The Chinese weren't wrong when they claimed that Green Tea had many powerful properties.

Why is Green Tea so different?

Green Tea is chockfull of a compound called catechin polyphenols, of which EGCG or Epigallocatechin Gallate is in abundance. It is known that EGCG has antioxidant properties, helps to inhibit the growth of dangerous cancer cells in the body, lowers the levels of bad cholesterol in the blood and prevents abnormal formation of blood clots.

For a long time, Resveratrol, which is a compound found in red wine, was raved about because of its ability to negate the effects of smoking and a fat enriched diet. However, today we know that EGCG has twice the health benefits of resveratrol and plays a large role in protecting the heart even if the person follows an unhealthy lifestyle. In 1997, researchers from the University of Kansas felt that it was because of Green Tea alone that incidences of heart disease were low among Japanese men, although a high percentage of them were smokers.

Tea itself is available in many varieties and forms. However, the only difference which can be attributed to the health boosting properties of Green Tea lies in the way the leaves are processed. Other methods of drying tea leaves may have an impact on the compounds present, but Green Tea leaves are steamed which helps retain the abundance of EGCG.

Drink up for better benefits

Green Tea has been found to be very helpful in fighting off cancer, reducing cholesterol levels, promoting better cardiovascular health, controlling diabetes, increasing overall immunity, preventing food poisoning and lowering the occurrence of repeated infections. Green Tea can even help you cut down on your visits to the dentist because it kills the bacteria that causes dental plaque and prevents tooth decay. The fluoride content in Green Tea helps prevent cavities and boosts the strength of teeth enamel as well.

Green Tea helps you maintain an active metabolism and improves the health of the circulatory system. People who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome or constipation problems will find relief with Green Tea because it helps improve the functionality of the digestive system, and has been found to reduce bowel problems. Those who are on a mission to lose weight will benefit from its metabolism boosting and fat burning properties that are unique to Green Tea.

Green Tea extracts are currently a rage among cosmetic and skin care brands as well because of its proven abilities to slow down the aging process. With so many benefits to offer, establishing a daily "tea time" will be an investment that will payoff for years to come.