Lose Weight and Gain Better Health with Green Tea

In the west, the U.S. is second only to Great Britain in tea consumption, brewing more than 2.2 billion gallons each year--enough to fill more than 160,000 swimming pools. But, tea offers more benefits than being a soothing beverage to be served at social gatherings, or to ward off the chill of a winter's night. There is mounting evidence to suggest that drinking tea may also reduce the risks of developing cardiovascular disease and many forms of cancer. In addition, green tea is an effective and easy way to help you lose weight.

Different Cups of Tea

The three most common types of tea manufactured are green tea, black tea (often labeled as pekoe or orange pekoe), and oolong tea. The difference between them lies in how the leaves are processed. Black tea is by far the most popular, comprising 77% of the world's tea production, and is the result of allowing the leaves to ferment before drying. Oolong tea production involves partial fermentation, while green tea is not fermented at all.

Tea leaves are an abundant source of flavonoids (sometimes called bioflavonoids), a group of compounds with antioxidant properties that lend many plants their color. Of specific interest are the flavonoids catechins and flavonols which prevent the synthesis of peroxides and free radicals, agents that can invade cell membranes and damage genetic material. Certain chemicals found in the molecular structure of these beneficial flavonoids, collectively known as phenolic groups, bind with peroxides and free radicals to annul their ability to cause damage.

The fermentation process activates the oxidation of catechins to convert them into the secondary flavonoids theraflavin and thearubigin, also highly oxidant and responsible for the rich color and flavor of black and oolong teas. Green tea, on the other hand, is manufactured without fermentation and the original catechin structure is preserved. The most significant catechin present in tea, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is much more abundant in green tea, with a single cup yielding from 40 to 90 milligrams.

British researchers recently published the results of two studies in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which reported that green tea increases fat and carbohydrate oxidation when combined with just 30 minutes of moderate exercise each day.

New Life from an Old Tradition

Tea drinking is an ancient custom with origins in 2737 BC China. Reputedly, the Emperor Shen Nung, known as the great "divine healer," first sampled tea after a gust of wind carried a few stray leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to an open pot of boiling water. Today, approximately 3,000 varieties of tea are made from this single plant, at least 300 in China alone. Perhaps that's why the old Chinese proverb relates, "Better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one."