The Truth About Green Tea, EGCG, And Antioxidants

To understand the truth behind the medical claims formore of it to be absorbed as opposed to excreted.
green tea and the antioxidant properties of EGCG, it isSo if you are using green tea for health reasons, spice
first necessary to have a close look at what greenup your food with a small amount of black pepper -
tea is, and why these claims are being made.that's all it needs. You don't have to smother your food
Green tea is a form of tea made from the leaves ofin it! It should be stressed that these tests were carried
the Carmellia Sinensis, a shrub that is native to Chinaout on animals, although the biochemistry involved is
and has spread to other areas of Asia including Japanmuch the same.
and the Middle East. Drinking it is believed to impartThe oxidation of fat by your metabolism to provide
many health benefits, including the prevention ofenergy is a very important factor in weight control. If
obesity, heart disease and some forms of cancer andthe contribution of the fats you ingest to the energy
it has been used in traditional Chinese medicine forgenerated by your metabolism is low, then the fats
over 400 years.can go on to be deposited in your body. This is not
Tea is known to have been consumed in China foronly unsightly, in that it can basically make you look 'fat',
around 5,000 years, and used, not only in Chinesebut is also dangerous to your health. Fat deposits
medicine, but also in that of Japan, Thailand and Indiaaround your midriff and round the major organs of
for a number of ailments including regulating bloodyour body can be extremely damaging and a severe
sugar, treating wounds and digestive problems. Therisk to your health.
drinking of green tea to benefit the heart and otherIt has been shown by a recent study in the UK
vital organs is described in the Kissa Yojoki (Book of(Birmingham University) that those taking green tree
Tea), written in 1191 by Eisai, a Japanese Zen priest.extract displayed a 17% increase in fat oxidation over
This two-part book talks about the various medicinalthose given a placebo. Not only that, but the ratio of
benefits of green tea, such as preventing fatigue,fat oxidation to the overall energy expenditure showed
curing beriberi, quenching thirst, clearing the thoughts,a similar differential between the study and the control
maintaining health of the urinary tract and improvinggroup. This provides evidence of green tea extract
digestive problems. It also explains how to grow teabeing able to control your weight by burning fat, and
and how to prepare and use the leaves. The methodsalso to improve the tolerance to glucose and sensitivity
of treatment of various ailments and medical conditionsto insulin of healthy people.
are described in the second part of the book.Many other health claims have been made for green
The active ingredients in green tea are catechins,tea extract, although many of these have little, if any,
polyphenols with strong anti-oxidant properties.scientific basis. Among these are the claims that it can
Antioxidants are important components of your diettreat multiple sclerosis and be used to treat cancer,
due to their effect on free radicals. These are smallalthough claims that it can prevent the destruction of
molecules, generally oxygenated, such the superoxidecell membranes due to its oxidative effect are
cation and hydrogen peroxide that are generatedsupported by the biochemistry, if not the medical proof.
during normal metabolic processes and also ingested inThere are cases where theoretical biochemistry can
pollutants such as traffic and factory fumes andexplain many of the applications of ancient remedies
insecticides. Free radicals are also formed by thewithout needing modern day studies to support it.
effect of the ultra-violet component of sunlight on yourSome of the research supporting the green tea
skin and other tissues.theories include:
The effect of free radicals on your body can be1. In 2006, a study was announced that had followed
devastating, and they not only destroy cell membranesover 40,500 Japanese men and women, aged
but also oxidize such molecules as the low densitybetween 40 and 79, that had no history of coronary
lipids (LDL) that carry cholesterol around yourheart disease, stroke or cancer starting in 1994. It was
bloodstream. This allows the LDLs to be absorbed byfound that those who drank at least 5 cups of tea per
the white blood cells and then deposited as fattyday had a 16% lower risk of dying from any cause
plaques in the walls of your arteries. The end result is aand a 26% less risk of dying from cardiovascular
thickening and hardening of the arteries that leads to adisease than those that drank less than one cup of
condition known as atherosclerosis, where the bloodtea each day. Since cardiovascular disease and
supply to the brain and heart muscle is restricted,cancer are the major causes of death world-wide,
which can in turn lead to strokes and heart disease.these are significant results.
Their effect on your cells is to cause cancer and2. Again in 2006, it was reported in the American
premature aging, among others, and free radicals areJournal of Clinical Nutrition that studies indicated that a
also believed to play a part in conditions such ashigher consumption of green tea was associated with
Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease and alsoa reduction in human mental impairment when
inflammatory diseases such as arthritis and diabetes.compared to the average.
They can also cause damage to your DNA.3. Yale University School of Medicine reported later
It is essential, therefore, that these free radicals arethat year that, in spite of smoking more than their
destroyed as quickly as they are generated, and thatwestern counterparts, Asians suffered lower rates of
is what antioxidants do. You might be more familiarcancer and heart disease, and put that down to them
with the antioxidants Vitamins A, C and E, anddrinking over 4 pints of green tea daily. It was the
phytochemicals such as flavonoids and carotenoids,polyphenol content of green tea and its antioxidant
but there are many substances available to you thateffect that was proposed for this result, known
are even more powerful such as the polyphenolscommonly as the 'Asian paradox'. A specific reason
found in green tea.given for this was the antioxidant effect preventing the
Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is the most powerfuloxidation of LDL cholesterol, and its subsequent
of these with antioxidant properties at least twentydeposition in the artery walls.
five times that of Vitamin E, and 100 times that of4. Another component of green tea is the amino acid
Vitamin C. EGCG comprises around 10-50% of theL-Theanine that promotes relaxation, and it is believed
total catechin content of the tea and studies indicatethat this could help to fight stress by inhibiting the
that it likely helps to protect against DNA damage byexcitation of cortical neurons.
free radicals, to protect against oxidation of LDL,There is a lot more evidence for the health benefits of
provide protection against the damage of ultra-violetgreen tea, and once again it appears that the ancients
radiation and to protect you from the free radicals thathave been proved correct. Perhaps we should pay
are generated by smoking tobacco and generalmore attention to ancient remedies, although without
airborne pollution.the proper evidence much of it is ignored - for the time
There are suggestions that the bioavailability of EGCGbeing at least. Green tea, however, has generally been
can be increased by consuming black pepper whenaccepted due to the research and studies carried out
drinking green tea, possibly due to the presence ofon ECGC (Epigallocatechin gallate) and in additional to
piperine in the pepper. The piperine appears to retardthe traditional form, is also available as a dietary
the intestinal glucuronidation of EGCG and so allowsupplement.