green tea

A warm welcome to all new subscribers and please feel free to send this on to your friends and family. Another nutrition assignment has passed through my life recently and I found the health properties of green tea to be quite extraordinary. If you find the taste of green tea bitter, try adding a big slice of lemon for balance.

The magic of green tea lies in the bioflavonoids it contains. Bioflavonoids are protectors against environmental stress and are the plant pigments found in many fruits, vegetables and herbs. A chemical compound called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), belonging to the class of chemicals called catechins, is the most pharmacologically active and prevalent of all the catechins in green tea. EGCG has antioxidant power about 100 times greater than Vitamin C and 25 times greater than Vitamin E when protecting DNA from free radical damage.

Studies indicate that catechins are effective antioxidants in human blood plasma by delaying lipid oxidation while protecting fat soluble antioxidants such as Vitamins A & E. Clinical trials have shown that green tea can prevent cancers of the pancreas, stomach, breast, colon, small intestine and lung. Studies show lower levels of prostate cancer in Asian countries when compared to the West.

Green tea consumption is believed to be the reason for the difference as laboratory studies on the effects of green tea have proved that EGCG induces cell death in human prostate cancer cells. The beneficial and anticancer effects of green tea have been most apparent where it is consumed regularly and in relatively large quantities, typically about five to ten cups per day.

In addition to green tea, bioflavonoids are found in citrus fruits, berries, parsley, onions, legumes and red wine. As bioflavonoids are active against a wide variety of free radicals, this antioxidant power gives them anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, antiviral and anticancer properties.

Free radicals are formed in the body to destroy unwanted invaders through oxidation. Unfortunately they then attack the cells which must use antioxidants as protection. Free radicals are made in response to chemicals in our environment, including tobacco, alcohol, rancid or overheated fats and oils.

Dark chocolate contains bioflavonoids found to boost blood antioxidant levels by nearly 20%. However, consuming milk chocolate or even drinking milk with the dark chocolate cancels the benefits. A study comparing the antioxidant levels of milk chocolate and dark chocolate discovered that milk interferes with the antioxidant uptake. Professor Alan Crozier of Glasgow University suggests that the milk proteins bind with the antioxidants, hindering their absorption. There is the possibility that milk will do this to other antioxidant rich foods.

So to increase your antioxidant intake and give yourself more environmental protection, skip the dairy when eating brightly coloured fruit and veg in case it interferes. Also include green tea, dark chocolate and red wine to your diet to boost bioflavonoids. Who says getting healthy was all about abstinence???