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Eat Right to Reduce Cancer Risk

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Women: Stay Active to Reduce Breast Cancer Risk

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Helpful Dietary Changes

COOKING CORNER
Lemon Pepper Linguine with Artichoke Hearts

VITAMINS & MINERALS
Focus on Folic Acid

HERBAL REMEDIES
Go With Green Tea

EVERYDAY ANSWERS
How Can I Get Enough Vitamin D?

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Go with Green Tea

Parts used and where grown
All teas (green, black, and oolong) are derived from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. The difference is in how the plucked leaves are prepared. Green tea, unlike black and oolong tea, is not fermented, so the active constituents remain unaltered in the herb. The leaves of the tea plant are used both as a social and a medicinal beverage.

Historical or traditional use (may or may not be supported by scientific studies)
According to Chinese legend, tea was discovered accidentally by an emperor 4,000 years ago. Since then, Traditional Chinese Medicine has recommended green tea for headaches, body aches and pains, digestion, depression, immune enhancement, detoxification, as an energizer, and to prolong life.

Active constituents
Green tea contains volatile oils, vitamins, minerals, and caffeine, but the primary constituents of interest are the polyphenols, particularly the catechin called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). The polyphenols are believed to be responsible for most of green tea’s roles in promoting good health. Green tea may also promote cardiovascular health by making platelets in the blood less sticky.

Compounds in green tea, as well as black tea, may reduce the risk of dental caries. Human volunteers rinsing with an alcohol extract of oolong tea leaves before bed each night for four days had significantly less plaque formation, but similar amounts of plaque-causing bacteria, compared to those with no treatment.

Green tea polyphenols have been shown to stimulate the production of several immune system cells, and have topical antibacterial properties—even against the bacteria that cause dental plaque.

Tea flavonoids given by capsule reduced fecal odor and favorably altered the gut bacteria in elderly Japanese with feeding tubes living in nursing homes. The study was repeated in bedridden elderly not on feeding tubes, and green tea was again shown to improve their gut bacteria. These studies raise the possibility of using green tea in other settings where gut bacteria are disturbed, such as after taking antibiotics. Further studies are needed to clarify the role of green tea in this respect, however.

High-tannin tea has been shown to reduce the need for blood removal from people with iron overload, or hemochromatosis, in a preliminary study. The tea had to be taken with meals and without lemon or milk to be effective. Tea is believed to help in hemochromatosis by preventing iron absorption.

How much is usually taken?
Much of the research documenting the health benefits of green tea is based on the amount of green tea typically consumed in Asian countries—about 3 cups (750 ml) per day (providing 240–320 mg of polyphenols). However, other research suggests as much as 10 cups (2,500 ml) per day is necessary to obtain noticeable benefits from green tea ingestion. To brew green tea, 1 teaspoon (5 grams) of green tea leaves is combined with 1 cup (250 ml) of boiling water and steeped for three minutes. Decaffeinated tea is recommended to reduce the side effects associated with caffeine, including anxiety and insomnia. Tablets and capsules containing standardized extracts of polyphenols, particularly EGCG, are available. Some provide up to 97% polyphenol content—which is equivalent to drinking 4 cups (1,000 ml) of tea. Many of these standardized products are decaffeinated.

Are there any side effects or interactions?
Green tea is generally free of side effects. The most common adverse effects reported from consuming large amounts (several cups per day) of green tea are insomnia, anxiety, and other symptoms caused by the caffeine content in the herb.

An extract of green tea taken by healthy women with a meal inhibited the absorption of non-heme iron (e.g., the form of iron in plant foods) by 26%. Frequent use of green tea could, in theory, promote the development of iron deficiency in susceptible individuals.

There are several case reports of people developing liver damage while consuming weight-loss products that contained concentrated extracts of green tea. A cause–effect relationship was not proven, and most of the products contained other ingredients in addition to green tea extract. Nevertheless, researchers have cautioned against the use of large amounts, or concentrated extracts, of green tea.

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