How About Joining Me for a Cup of Tea

After reading several articles about some benefits of drinking green tea, I sat down to share some of that information with you, thinking I would write one simple article. But then…

My curiosity got the best of me and I just had to do more research and find out more about the health benefits of drinking green tea. Looks like it’s going to be more than one little article. At least 1000 research papers have been written about the effects of green tea.

Personally I’ve never been a tea or coffee drinker and avoided green tea because of the caffeine in it. I’m happy with water, hot or cold, a cheap date when it comes to drinks. But the research findings about the numerous health boosting effects of drinking green tea may make me a convert.

However, I will buy the decaffeinated green tea. Caffeine upsets body chemistry and makes us waste calcium, a detriment that could offset the many plusses of consuming green tea.

So what’s in green tea that makes it so valuable?

Many of its benefits can be attributed to the power packed antioxidants it contains. These antioxidants can be categorized as catechins or anti-inflammatory polyphenols. These antioxidants also known as flavonoids make up 30% of the weight of the tea. Pretty impressive that a humble tea leaf could be almost 1/3 antioxidants by weight.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) , the most abundant catechin in the green tea leaf , is responsible for many of the health promoting and disease preventing effects of green tea. So keep EGCG in mind as you read through these articles on green tea.

Speaking of your mind, green tea can help keep it sharp and protect against those dreaded diseases of the mind, Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease and other cognitive decline issues. Inflammatory molecules and too much iron build-up spark free radical production in the brain. Free radicals set off a domino effect of chewing holes in cell membranes.

Any antioxidants on board will neutralize and stop the free radical damage. Exhaustion of the antioxidant supply to the brain due to repeated exposure to free radicals triggers the production of amyloid Beta proteins. These proteins in turn cause the brain cells to commit suicide.

How much brain cell suicide do you want?

None of course. So the first step is to stop ingesting free radical producing food (as in junk food – I call it death food). Then give your brain the extra anti-oxidant protection found in green tea to keep your brain cells healthy and alive.

Green tea’s major anti-oxidant ECGC binds to and removes the extra iron from the brain. That’s one free radical thwarted! Then it amplifies its effect by increasing the activity of two major antioxidant enzymes, catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD). That gives a double whammy to overcoming free radical damage.

So we started at the top of the body – the brain – in revealing the health benefits of drinking green tea. In the next article you’ll find out more about the ways that green tea can keep the brain healthy.

Blessings,

Dr. Jo