Researchers Discover What Makes Green Tea So Beneficial

Health Wellness

Many of us have heard about the wonderful health benefits of green tea. Those benefits have been known for centuries, but finding out exactly what’s in green tea that is so good is a more recent discovery.

The first reported health benefits of green tea happened way back in 1211-4, when Yeisai, a Japanese Zen priest published a book titled Kitcha-Yojoki (Tea and Health Promotion). In his book, which was largely composed from Chinese writings:

  1. He claimed that drinking tea is a way of sobering up after indulging in too much sake.
  2. He stated that tea could keep you from sleeping, referring to a specific disease.
  3. Tea drinking always produces a feeling of exaltation and the mind is filled with delight and hope.
  4. Tea is effective in healing various injuries, promoting urination and protecting against various diseases.
  5. Tea drinking alleviates fatigue.

Nine-hundred years later, the name of Yeisai is still famous and known for his wisdom and help in promoting tea drinking in Japan.

Today, we hear a lot about how green tea helps in weight loss, improving the immune system in fighting off numerous illnesses and helping fight oxidative stress of the body.

But what is it in green tea that makes it so beneficial to our health?

Researchers have spent years breaking green tea down into its various components and then trying to learn as much as possible about each component in hopes of learning the secrets of green tea.

It seems that researchers have finally found the one extract taken from green tea that seems to be more effective or beneficial than all others. It’s called green tea phytosome and chances are you’ve never heard of or know what it is.

“Unlike other green tea extracts, green tea phytosome consists of green tea polyphenols that are bound to a phospholipid (i.e., a lipid, or fat, containing a phosphate group).”

One almost has to be a chemistry major to understand that or even what a phenol is, but the main thing to take from this is that they found what it is are learning what it does.

What it does is to increase the absorption of polyphenol compounds, especially EGCC, through the cell membrane where it can be utilized by the cell.

Here are some of the health benefits of green tea phytosome:

  1. Weight loss – “No pill is going to be (or should be) a weight-loss magic bullet. However, research suggests that, when combined with a reduced-calorie diet, green tea phytosome may help you lose more weight than cutting calories alone.”
  2. Helps keep weight off over time – “ In one study, women underwent a three-month lifestyle intervention in which they all lost weight. Afterward, they were divided into two groups, one of which received a supplement containing 150 milligrams of green tea phytosome for three months, while the other group received a placebo for three months. After two months, women receiving the placebo began to regain weight, while women taking the green tea supplement continued to lose weight and fat mass for about a month, then maintained their weight for the second and third months.”
  3. Reduced risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes – “In one study, patients with borderline metabolic syndrome who took green tea phytosome for three months not only lost weight, but they experienced a drop in blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, and triglycerides and experiences an increase in good HDL cholesterol. These positive changes were enough to nudge 68 percent of the patients out of the metabolic syndrome profile altogether. Many of these benefits could be a result of the weight loss; however, the researchers say it’s possible that green tea’s polyphenols also act directly on the body to yield these results, thanks to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.”
  4. Anti-cancer – “No studies have been done on the anti-cancer effect of green tea phytosome specifically; however, these supplements do contain polyphenol compounds, which are what scientists believe contribute to green tea’s anti-cancer activity.”
  5. Detoxification – “Green tea has potent antioxidant properties. In fact, one study found that people who consumed green tea or took a green tea extract supplement for two months had significantly higher blood levels of a number of antioxidants, including glutathione, which our bodies tend to produce far less of as we age. Glutathione has been called ‘your body’s most powerful antioxidant and detoxifying agent’ by mbg Collective member Dr. Frank Lipman, M.D. It’s concentrated in the liver and helps bind toxins and escort them out of the body via urine or bile.”

The only known side-effects of drinking green tea or taking green tea supplement such as green tea phytosome is that in a few people, they reported liver problems, but the liver problems were not proven to be caused by the green tea. However, to reduce the chance of such problems, it’s recommended that if you take green tea extract or green tea phytosome that you take it with food.

If you decide to take a green tea supplement, it is recommended that you look for one that is 60% polyphenols and 40% EGCC. It’s also recommended that you do a little research to see if other third-party sources have tested a particular brand to make sure it contains what the label says. It’s also recommended to check with your physician to make sure it won’t interact with any medication you are taking.

Green Tea

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