Yes, green tea has a lot of ingredients that can be useful for our health. Let’s take a closer look at them and some studies about their properties.
Important ingredients of green tea
- Alkaloids. Green tea has caffeine in its chemical composition, the content of which is higher than in natural coffee. The amount of caffeine directly depends on the correctness of the tea production technology, as well as the initial conditions for the growth of the tea bush. Green tea also contains theobromine and theophylline.
- Polyphenols. Up to 30% of the composition of green tea is made up of polyphenols, in particular, catechins, of which epigallocatechin gallate is of the greatest interest. Also in this tea, there is tannin, the content of which is 2 times higher than in its black counterpart.
- Vitamins and Minerals. Green tea also contains vitamins (P, C, A, B1, B2, B3, E, etc.) and minerals (calcium, fluorine, iron, iodine, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, chromium, manganese, selenium, zinc and others).
Green tea benefits
- Catechins that are contained in green tea are actively absorbed by the lens and retina of the eye, as a result of which oxidative stress in the eyes (the process of damage to cells due to their oxidation) is reduced by up to 20 hours. Hong Kong scientists have concluded that green tea may be promising in the prevention of glaucoma.
- Studies in Slovenia have shown that green tea extract has antimicrobial activity.
- Epigallocatechin gallate helps protect brain cells. Experience in mice at the Israeli University of Technology showed that this type of catechin fights Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.
- Epigallocatechin gallate has a laboratory-proven ability to inhibit the growth of cancer cells in prostate cancer. It, in combination with tamoxifen, suppresses the development of breast cancer (in vivo experiment, i.e. in a living organism was carried out in mice, in vitro experiment, i.e. in vitro - in human cells).
- Green tea reduces the risk of developing memory and attention disorders by 2 times.
- Green tea enhances human immunity and is also an energy stimulator (due to the active oxidation of fats).
- The systematic use of green tea leads to the normalization of human body mass.
Note, that the daily intake of catechins is 500 mg. Excessive consumption of green tea due to the high content of catechins in it can lead to liver diseases and cause complications in the kidneys
