Alternative Health Information: Bored of the same old cuppa every morning? Research suggests that switching to green tea can fight cancer and slow down the ageing process. Dominic Marriott, a tea taster at Ahmad Tea, one of the largest sellers of tea in the world, gives the lowdown on the health benefits of drinking green tea.

Initially, scientists were drawn to conducting research into green tea after population studies showed that instances of cancer among regular green tea drinkers in Asia were far lower than their Western, non-tea drinking counterparts. Since then, countless studies have found that green tea is high in anti-oxidants and may have numerous health benefits.

Alternative Health Information: Green Tea Heath Benefits - Antioxidant Rich Green Tea

One cup of green tea has more antioxidants than a serving of broccoli, spinach or carrots. However, green tea is also a source of caffeine. A regular cup contains approximately 50 milligrams of caffeine, compared to coffee which contains between 60 and 170 milligrams of caffeine per cup.

When I am introduced to people as a tea taster I am often asked the question; ‘what is the difference between green and black tea?’ The answer is that to begin with absolutely nothing at all, as both come from the Camellia Sinesis bush. However, it is how the tea is then processed which creates the difference.

After plucking and undergoing partial withering green tea is heated almost immediately at about 200 degrees Celsius for twelve minutes, this destroys the enzymes that are found naturally in the tea, preventing fermentation. The tea is then rolled to give it shape before being heated again. By contrast black tea is processed in a different order; it is withered then rolled before any heating takes place. This process breaks open the cellular structure of the leaves, allowing the polyphenols to react with the natural enzymes. The tea is then left to ferment for some time where it takes on the brown/black colour and develops its flavour, before being heated to destroy the enzymes and halt the reaction at the appropriate time.

Alternative Health Information: Green Tea Heath Benefits – Cancer Fighting Green Tea

It is therefore the fermentation reaction that causes the key differences between the two types of tea. Both types of tea contain high levels of polyphenolic antioxidant compounds. In green tea these are mainly catechins, during fermentation phenolase enzymes convert the catechins to therabugins and theaflavins, which are brown and red respectively giving black tea its colour and contributing to the flavour change. The polyphenols found in black tea are reported to have plenty of health benefits of their own; however, we will concentrate on the green tea catechins to which most of the health benefits of green tea are attributed.

Catechins belong to the group of polyphenols called flavanols; they are astringent compounds which contribute to the natural bitterness of green tea. There are four main catechins found in tea – Epicatechin (EC), Epigallocatechin (EGC), Epicatechin gallate (ECG) and Epigallocatechin-3 gallate (EGCG). These are all antioxidants with EGCG in particular being very powerful.

Alternative Health Information: Green Tea Heath Benefits – Anti Ageing Green Tea

Antioxidants such as catechins have been strongly linked to the prevention of cancer and heart disease. This is because antioxidants ‘reduce’ or ‘scavenge’ free radicals. Free radicals are molecules, which contain a ‘spare’ positively charged hydrogen atom and are therefore highly reactive and unstable. They will always seek to stabilize this positive charge by reacting with and disrupting other molecules in the body. This can cause damage to body cell DNA, which can lead to cancer. Although free radicals occur naturally, factors such as pollution, UV radiation from the sun and smoking increase the amount of free radicals in the body. Antioxidants react with the free radicals to produce much less reactive and harmful compounds. Catechins in tea have been linked through various studies to a decreased risk of stomach, breast, lung, ovarian and prostate cancer. There is also some evidence that EGCG may actually inhibit cell replication enzymes which help cancer cells grow.

Green tea has also been reported to have beneficial anti-ageing properties. This is again due to its antioxidant properties. As cells become damaged by free-radicals they age, catechins, by reducing these reactions, can help reduce the effects of ageing.

Alternative Health Information: Green Tea Heath Benefits

Green tea has been linked to providing health benefits for the following conditions:

Green Tea Heath Benefits: Heart disease and stroke – green tea has been shown to help lower the levels of ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol and raise the levels of ‘good’ HDL cholesterol. It is also believed to reduce the risk of atherosclerosis where the arteries can become hardened and blocked due to a build up of fatty substances and cholesterol, which can eventually lead to a heart attack. It may also suppress the aggregation of platelets which can lead to thrombosis increasing the risk of heart disease or stroke.

Green Tea Heath Benefits: Diabetes – Green tea may help regulate glucose in the body and there is some evidence it can help prevent type 1 diabetes.

Green Tea Heath Benefits: Weight loss – Studies have linked green tea with in increased metabolic rate and speeding up fat oxidation which could aid weight loss.

Green Tea Heath Benefits: Oral health – Green tea naturally contains fluoride, which strengthens tooth enamel.

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