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The Miracle of Green Tea |
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"Better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for
one."(Ancient Chinese Proverb)
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. |
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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 theNational Cancer
Institute published the results of an
epidemiological study indicating that
drinking green teareduced the risk of
esophageal cancer in Chinese men and
women by nearly sixty percent. |
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University of Purdue researchers recently concluded that a
compound in green tea inhibits the growth ofcancer cells. There is
also research indicating that drinking green tea lowers total
cholesterollevels, as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL)
cholesterol to bad (LDL)cholesterol. |
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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
- infection
- impaired immune function
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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. |
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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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