Second Most Consumed Beverage in the world after water.
Understanding the differences between EGCG, catechins and polyphenols. Which is the best way to maximize green tea's health benefits?
1. What's tea polyphenol?
When buying green tea products, knowing how to read the label is important. To decipher what the product contains, it is important to know something about green tea chemistry.
For example, let's say you come across an exciting product that says "300 milligrams of polyphenols". You may be led to believe it contains 300 milligrams of antioxidants.
You could be wrong.
Polyphenol is a much abused term. Strictly speaking, 90% of tea polyphenols are catechins, so the two terms are almost synonymous. However, for reasons I do not yet understand, this word has been used interchangeably with green tea extract.
A standardized green tea extract contains only about 30% catechins. So 300 milligrams of polyphenols may only contain 90 milligrams of antioxidants, not the 300 milligrams that you expect.
2. What are catechins?
Catechins are what make green tea special. They make up the bulk of green tea's antioxidants, and therefore its healing potential.
Catechins are unoxidized. When black tea is made, catechins oxidize to form more complex compounds called thearubigins and theaflavins. Between the two, only theaflavins contain significant antioxidant potential.
Green tea contains about 30% catechins, whereas black tea contains only 4% of theaflavins. Both are powerful antioxidants. But green tea has far more in quantity, which explains why it is associated with more health benefits.
3. What is EGCG?
Okay, now that you understand what catechins are, the rest is easy.
Green tea contains six types of catechins: EGCG, EGC, ECG, EC, GC and C. Among the six, there is some evidence that EGCG and ECG are the most potent.
However, what makes these catechins important is not their potency, but their abundance.
About half of the catechin content of tea is EGCG. Just a small quantity of tea leaves will steep many cups of tea.
It is this relative abundance that makes green tea special. No other food or beverage contain this level of antioxidants.
EGCG is the focus of almost every scientific study, and has been associated with most of the newly discovered green tea benefits.
The health benefits of this amazing antioxidant are deep and wide ranging. It literally covers every part of the body.
The Ohsaki National Health Insurance Cohort Study is one of the largest population studies ever conducted - 40,530 Japanese adults were questioned over the course of 11 years.
Researchers found those who drank 5 or more cups of green tea a day were 16% more likely to live longer than those who drank less than one cup a day.
Heavy green tea drinkers are also 26% less likely to die from heart disease.
Green tea has few side effects.
After all, the Chinese people have been drinking tea for thousands of years. It has been officially proven by study that green tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water.
It is water-soluble, which means if you overdose, it is unlikely to build up. The excess simply gets flushed out of your body.
Warning.
There is only one caveat: Be careful when you are pregnant or consuming lots of sub-quality processed products (such as tea powder or dietary supplement). (take your doctor's Avice).
Thank you.
Francis daniel (Bahrain).
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