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انا من بلده : china
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تاريخ التسجيل : 04/07/2010
 |  موضوع: Green Tea Health Benefits<>فوائد الشاي الاخضر الصحة  الخميس ديسمبر 30, 2010 8:38 am | |
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Is
any other food or drink reported to have as many health benefits as
green tea? The Chinese have known about the medicinal benefits of green
tea since ancient times, using it to treat everything from headaches to
depression. In her book Green Tea: The Natural Secret for a Healthier Life, Nadine Taylor states that green tea has been used as a medicine in China for at least 4,000 years. Today,
scientific research in both Asia and the west is providing hard
evidence for the health benefits long associated with drinking green
tea. For example, in 1994 the Journal of the National Cancer Institute
published the results of an epidemiological study indicating that
drinking green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men
and women by nearly sixty percent. University of Purdue researchers
recently concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits the growth of
cancer cells. There is also research indicating that drinking green tea
lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as improving the ratio of good
(HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol.
To sum up, here are just a few medical conditions in which drinking green tea is reputed to be helpful:
- cancer
- rheumatoid arthritis
- high cholesterol levels
- cariovascular disease
- infectionimpaired immune function
What makes green tea so special?
The
secret of green tea lies in the fact it is rich in catechin
polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a
powerful anti-oxidant: besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells,
it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. It has also been
effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the
abnormal formation of blood clots. The latter takes on added importance
when you consider that thrombosis (the formation of abnormal blood
clots) is the leading cause of heart attacks and stroke
Links
are being made between the effects of drinking green tea and the
"French Paradox." For years, researchers were puzzled by the fact that,
despite consuming a diet rich in fat, the French have a lower incidence
of heart disease than Americans. The answer was found to lie in red
wine, which contains resveratrol, a polyphenol that limits the negative
effects of smoking and a fatty diet. In a 1997 study, researchers from
the University of Kansas determined that EGCG is twice as powerful as
resveratrol, which may explain why the rate of heart disease among
Japanese men is quite low, even though approximately seventy-five
percent are smokers.
Why
don't other Chinese teas have similar health-giving properties? Green,
oolong, and black teas all come from the leaves of the Camellia
sinensis plant. What sets green tea apart is the way it is processed.
Green tea leaves are steamed, which prevents the EGCG compound from
being oxidized. By contrast, black and oolong tea leaves are made from
fermented leaves, which results in the EGCG being converted into other
compounds that are not nearly as effective in preventing and fighting
various diseases.
Other Benefits
New evidence is emerging that green tea can even help dieters. In November, 1999, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
published the results of a study at the University of Geneva in
Switzerland. Researchers found that men who were given a combination of
caffeine and green tea extract burned more calories than those given
only caffeine or a placebo.Green
tea can even help prevent tooth decay! Just as its bacteria-destroying
abilities can help prevent food poisoning, it can also kill the
bacteria that causes dental plaque. Meanwhile, skin preparations
containing green tea - from deodorants to creams - are starting to
appear on the market.
Harmful Effects?
To
date, the only negative side effect reported from drinking green tea is
insomnia due to the fact that it contains caffeine. However, green tea
contains less caffeine than coffee: there are approximately thirty to
sixty mg. of caffeine in six - eight ounces of tea, compared to over
one-hundred mg. in eight ounces of coffee.
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