A green and lush oasis in the middle of a scorching dessert. A cool breeze on a hot summer night. A bright light at the end of a cold and dark tunnel. Green tea and cholesterol.

If you are approaching middle age and found out that you have high cholesterol, your answer might be green tea. The Internet has a wealth of information about cholesterol and green tea.

As modern science discovered cholesterol, apoB protein, LDLs, and triglycerides, green tea emerged as a surprising solution. As crazy as it sounds that a drink thousands of years old can help lower cholesterol, new scientific research suggests exactly that. The next 10 years will continue to reveal more facts about the world’s oldest beverage: green tea.

More good news is it is not just green tea and cholesterol; it is also green tea and cancer. Several studies have shown that the antioxidants are present in green tea. 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. Another research done by the University of Purdue researchers recently concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells. In another study by the University of Kansas determined that EGCG may explain why the rate of heart disease among Japanese men is quite low, even though approximately seventy-five percent are smokers.

And more good news! It is not just green tea and cholesterol or green tea and cancer; it is also green tea and high blood pressure. Habitually drinking 5 to 10 cups a day of green tea lowers high blood pressure.

The Chinese have been using green tea for thousands of years to treat everything from body aches to depression.

Drinking tea also is reported to be helpful with rheumatoid arthritis, Cardiovascular disease, infection, and impaired immune function.

Scientists have determined that green teas healing properties come from catechin polyphenols like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a proven anti-cancer compound. Polyphenols appear to limit and counter some of the negative effects of smoking and a fatty diet as seen in the Japanese population.

Green tea has also been shown to help with weight loss. In a study done by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it was found that men who were given green tea burned more calories than those who were given only caffeine.

Green tea has also been found to keep bad breath under control. The reason is that green tea has anti-bacteria properties.

Now keep in mind that all teas are not created equal when it comes to health benefits. Green tea is what you want to drink to get the maximum health benefits. Even though all tea comes from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, the difference is in how the tea leaves are prepared. Green tea leaves are steamed which keeps more of the EGCG compound. Black tea and Oolong tea are made from dried or fermented leaves which causes a loss of EGCG.

The Chinese have certainly contributed to our understanding of the health benefits of drinking green tea.

There is more to green tea and cholesterol, search the web and get to know more of the heath benefits you may get from green tea.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 at 9:09 am and is filed under fat loss. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.