Control High Cholesterol With Green Tea?
Green Tea: The Best Medicine for High Cholesterol?
By Jon Stout
It was reportedly discovered by a Chinese emperor some 40 centuries ago. And, legend has it, the discovery was purely by accident. But that coincidental discovery has improved the health of people around the world, who have turned to green tea in particular to help soothe their pains, improve their digestion, alleviate their depression, boost their immune system, and perhaps even lengthen their lives. But what is it that makes green tea so beneficial to human health?
The Ingredients of Success
Green tea is actually made up of a variety of ingredients. These include caffeine, vitamins, minerals, and oils. However, the most important ingredients are the polyphenols, especially one called EGCG, which is believed to improve health. In fact, it is the polyphenols which make green tea so much more effective than other beverages in fighting disease and illness.
Green Tea and Cholesterol
There have been some intriguing studies indicating that green tea can be effective in the fight against high cholesterol. Specifically, the beverage reduces “bad” cholesterol and boosts “good” cholesterol, improving an individual’s overall cholesterol profile.
In addition, green tea appears to lower overall cholesterol levels, helping to reduce one’s risk of developing heart disease. Similarly, green tea enhances cardiovascular health by improving the consistency of platelets in the blood.
Researchers have also found that green tea appears to protect against oxygen-induced damage to bad cholesterol. Drinking green tea also seems to enhance antioxidant processes in the bloodstream.
Effect of Green Tea on Blood Fats
In recent years, much attention has been focused on blood fats and the effects of diet and exercise on their consistency. In an interesting study conducted at the Department of Public Health at the National Defense Medical College in Saitama, Japan, researchers S. Kono, K. Shinchi, N. Ikeda, F. Yanai, and K. Imanishi investigated the impact of green tea consumption on blood fats, also known as serum lipids.
The study was published in an article entitled, “Tea Consumption and Serum Lipid Profiles: a Cross-Sectional Study in Northern Kyushu, Japan.”
Specifically, the researchers examined the correlation between green tea use and the serum lipid concentrations of more than 1300 men who underwent retirement health exams at the Self-Defense Forces Fukuoka Hospital between 1986 and 1988.
The researchers factored out variables such as alcohol use, use of tobacco, exercise levels, body mass index, and rank. They then discovered that the more green tea a patient drank, the lower his serum cholesterol levels. Men who drank nine or more cups of tea each day had total cholesterol levels that were eight mg/dl lower than those who drank two or fewer cups a day.
The serum cholesterol levels seemed to also decrease for men who ate a great deal of rice and soy beans, and increase for those who ate more Western foods. However, adjusting for these additional diet variables did not seem to affect the correlation between green tea use and total cholesterol levels.
Additional Evidence from the Animal Kingdom
It’s been said that there is a definite link between diet and exercise and coronary heart disease. Therefore, anything in the diet that improves serum lipid profiles should reduce the incidence of heart problems. It’s also known that green tea contains phytochemicals that work to decrease serum cholesterol as well as triglycerides.
In one animal study, 45 rats were subjected to a variety of treatments, including green tea. The study showed that consuming green tea improved the serum lipid profile by reducing total cholesterol, bad cholesterol, and trans fats. In addition, liver fat content decreased in rats that received a large amount of green tea.
Other Positive Effects of Green Tea Drinking
The polyphenols found in green tea may have some additional positive health effects. For instance, a number of animal and test tube studies indicate that these chemicals may have a substantial anti-cancer effect, especially in inhibiting the spread of melanoma, or skin cancer cells. Green tea has also been linked to a reduction in oral cancers and dental cavities.
In addition, green tea may stimulate the production of immune system cells. As a result, it can help the body fight bacteria, leading to improved overall health. In fact, one study showed that drinking ten or more cups of green tea each day could improve blood test results, protecting the body against liver damage.
How Much Green Tea is Enough?
Of course, you might be wondering how much green tea must be consumed in order to have a positive impact on health. In Asian nations, the typical tea drinker consumes about three cups each day—enough to provide as much as 320 mg of polyphenols. Nevertheless, some studies indicate as many as ten cups each day are needed in order to really make a difference in cholesterol levels and overall health.
Possible Side Effects
It should be noted that there can be some negative side effects associated with green tea consumption. While green tea is a relatively healthy drink, those who consume several cups of it each day may experience anxiety and insomnia brought on by the caffeine found in the beverage. Drinking green tea may also lead to iron deficiencies, since iron absorption in women may be reduced as much as 26 percent when green tea is consumed with a meal.
In addition, some drugs can interfere with green tea’s positive effects. Therefore, before switching to a diet rich in green tea, it may be best to check with a physician to determine if such a diet is right for you.
Looking to the Future
The forecast for green tea appears to be bright—as far as public health is concerned. Study after study seems to indicate that green tea can reduce cholesterol levels, combat cardiac disease, boost the immune system, and reduce the risk of cancer.
While additional study is needed in order to effectively harness all the benefits of green tea, it appears, for the moment, that simply adding a few cups of the brew to your daily diet can yield impressive health benefits.
Jon M. Stout is the Chairman of the Golden Moon Tea Company. Golden Moon Tea carefully selects the finest rare and orthodox teas, which are processed slowly and handcrafted with extreme care. At their website, you can learn more about their current tea offerings, including their exceptional green tea, white tea, black tea, oolong tea (also known as wu-long and wu long tea) and chai. Visit goldenmoontea.com for all details concerning the Golden Moon Tea Company’s fine line of teas.
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Liquid Green Tea: Why You Should Consume Liquid Green Tea
If you know nature, then you know that it generally offers things that are good for us. Take liquid green tea as an example, when you look at it, you are going to find that there are many beneficial effects. For starters, it has anticancer properties. Apart from that, it is also capable of protecting your body from heart illnesses.
This popular liquid is known as the healthy way to deal with weightloss. Globally, not only do normal citizens use the liquid, but film stars use it as well. There is no denying that it is very beneficial.
A study that was recently conducted has found that losing weight and drinking green tea are connected to one another. It shows that the green tea helps to burn that unwanted fat and calories to help lose weight. Studies that were also conducted on animals have shown that it possesses the ability to increase thermogenesis.
Studies on humans have also been conducted and found the same information. It does not matter if it is in liquid form of capsule form, it is still beneficial. Studies have shown that those individuals that consume green tea for a long period of time has less body fat percentage when you compare it to those that do not drink the tea on a regular basis.
I have been consuming liquid green tea for a couple of years and have found it very beneficial to myself. Not only has it helped me lose weight, but it has also helped to boost my energy. In fact, when I first started drinking it, I lost six pounds in the first month. For those of you that are interested in this tea, there are many different places you can find it. You can find it in your local grocery store and on the Internet.
Jack Segar
Green Tea Pills: The Facts About Green Tea Pills
If you are looking into losing weight, then you are going to find that green tea pills are one of the most popular forms of weight loss pills globally. This is because there are many benefits that are being offered. One of the most popular benefits of these teas is weight loss. As I write this article, I would like to share some facts about these ever so popular pills. Before I begin, I would like to tell you that many celebrities have turned to these pills in order to achieve their goals of weight loss.
How exactly does green tea help achieve those weight loss goals? Well, you see, green tea naturally has a thermogenic component in it and that is caffeine. Thermogenesis helps to boost the temperature of the body, which allows you to burn extra calories.
These pills also have two major components. Those two major components consist of theophylline and theobromine. These two components help boost the metabolism of the body. These two components cannot be found in coffee. Yes, green tea may have some of the same components that coffee has, but it is much more useful than coffee is.
Yes, they come in a pill format, but you do not need to get a prescription from your doctor in order to get them. This in terms makes it much easier for you to get. These pills are not illegal to take in the USA. However, you may still want to speak with your doctor in order to get the go ahead to take these pills.
For the most part, there have not been any bad side effects, but you should still speak with your doctor in order to determine if this is the best route for you. For example, they will determine if your body is able to handle caffeine. Green tea pills are starting to gain popularity today, so maybe it will help you obtain your weight loss goals.
Jack Segar
Green Tea Pills: The Benefits of Green Tea Pills
Green Tea Pills and the Health Benefits of Green Tea
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Elizabeth_Ruby]Elizabeth Ruby
Have you considered taking green tea pills? There are many health benefits of green tea including relief from headaches, aid for the digestive system, and weight loss.
Since it is late December at the time I am writing this article you will be reading a lot about how green tea will give the boost you need for weight loss. Green tea can help increase your metabolism and fat oxidation to help you lose weight.
After the holidays and in the beginning of a new year lots of people make resolutions to lose weight. You know those five to ten pounds that you put on during all the Christmas and New Year feast and parties. You will find many advertisements for green tea pills to aid you with getting those extra pounds off.
Other health benefits of green tea range from helping combat heart disease to helping ward off cancer. A study in Japan was published in the Journal Of the American Medical Association that shows a significant reduction in heart disease in green tea drinkers.
The study involved 40,000 people over a period of 11 years. The people who drank more than five cups of green tea per day had a 16% lower risk of overall mortality or death related to cardiovascular disease than those who drank less than one cup of green tea per day. In this study the health benefits of green tea were also associated with reduction in the risk of strokes.
If taking green tea supplements will reduce the risk of heart disease by 16% I would estimate many more people will consider taking them. If you are one of those people you may want to know there are supplements available that combine green tea extract with other well known vitamins, minerals, and herbal products that will give you all the benefits of green tea and then some.
Purchasing one tablet with many ingredients in it will be far less expensive than buying the supplements separately. So if you are considering green tea pills, check out my web site to learn more about nutritional supplements and information on maintaining good health.
Elizabeth Ruby is passionate about good health. She is a firm believer in taking quality nutritional supplements. Check out her web site at http://www.your-natural-supplements-site.info/ to find out more about good healthy supplements and which one she feels delivers the best totally balanced supplement on the market today.
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Super Green Tea Diet
Many individuals are now turning to cost effective and natural green tea weight loss strategies to assist them in living a healthy lifestyle. It is simple too. Green tea is consumed like any other tea, often without additional sweeteners. Green tea extract is a fantastic substitute, for those who don’t enjoy the taste of tea, or simply want some extra variety in their diets.
Researchers have proven that green tea assists in reducing weight by provoking your body’s thermogenesis process, which boost the output of energy and the burning of fat in your body. A terrific bonus of the super green tea diet, is that it won’t affect your heart rate, because of this it is thought to be safer than diet pills, which also stimulate your body’s thermogenesis process, but can also impact your heart rate in a negative way.
Many individuals who are overweight have or are at risk of developing hypertension and other cardiovascular issues, but since green tea does not place any additional stress on the heart makes it a good choice. Diet pills are not usually recommended if you are in this group but green tea is thought of as a safe alternative choice since it doesn’t affect your heart rate.
There are only two routes to weight loss: the first route being to consume fewer calories and the other route would be, to burn more calories, than you consume. Studies have shown that Green tea can increase the amount of calories you burn by roughly 4%. Most experts believe that this is due to the high amount of catechin that is found in the tea and its extract.
Another significant advantage of the super green tea diet is the large amounts of powerful antioxidants that are naturally occurring in the substance. Numerous studies have shown this to be a vital tool on the path to a healthy lifestyle.
One thing to take note of is that, green tea does have caffeine so you should cut back on other forms of caffeinated beverages in your diet. Studies have shown decaffeinated green tea may not contain the same health benefits as caffeinated green tea. This is likely due to the chemical processes possibly stripping the plant of its natural health benefits.
Even as great as green tea is, it is still essential to watch the total amount of calories you consume. Due to the fact that regardless of what you do if you are consuming more calories than you burn you will gain weight! However adding green tea to a sensible diet and exercise routine will certainly provide satisfying results.
Good luck to you on your path to a fitter healthier lifestyle.
Jack Segar