You Gotta Love Green Tea
By Allen S. Josephs, M.D.
President, Vitacost.com
For the last ten years, I have made a study of nutritional supplementation. There are
few nutrients that I have come across that intrigue me more than green tea.
A recent Medline Search reported over 1,100 medical articles concerning green tea.
In the November 15, 2002 edition of the prestigious American Journal of Cardiology,
researchers from Japan have suggested that green tea consumption can lead to a
significant decrease in heart attack. Three-hundred thirty-three patients undergoing
coronary angioplasty in Japan were interviewed. Many of these patients had obvious
risk factors for heart disease, including hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes.
This interesting study showed that patients who consumed at least one cup of green
tea every day were 42% less likely to have a heart attack than patients who did not
drink green tea.
The reason for this is not entirely certain although it appears to be related to the
beneficial effects of substances called flavonoids that are present not only in green tea
but also in red wine as well as a variety of fruits and vegetables. Or, you can
supplement your diet with flavonoids found in these nutraceuticals:
NSI Standardized Green Tea Extract 500 mg 100 Caps
NSI Grapeseed, Green Tea and Red Wine 60 Caps
Flavonoids inhibit oxidation caused by free radicals. Oxidation appears to be the
underlying mechanism for the development of not only heart disease, but also most
of the degenerative disorders of aging including stroke, cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer's,
Parkinson's, etc.
What I find so fascinating about green tea is its multi-faceted benefit. In a prior
study, researchers extracted a particularly powerful flavonoid from green tea known
as EGCG. This nutrient was then added to a culture of actively growing cancer cells.
After the nutrient was added, the cancer cells no longer multiplied.
I recalled the lead researcher in an interview being so impressed by this study, that
he actually began drinking green tea on a regular basis. Green tea also has been
shown in clinical studies to help with weight loss, high cholesterol as well as
improving overall immune function.
Whenever I get an opportunity, whether I am at home or out to dinner, I enjoy
having a cup of green tea. Some of the studies indicated that up to 5 cups per day is
optimal. For many of us, however, it is difficult to brew the tea on a regular basis.
There is an alternative to brewing and consuming 5 cups per day that is extremely
convenient—green tea supplementation.
Nutraceutical Sciences Institute (NSI) has a 500 mg green tea extract capsule that is
standardized to 98% polyphenols, 80% catechins and 45% ECGC. I am not aware of
a finer quality product on the market. Many are not standardized and contain very
little of the active components or they contain extemely low amounts of the
standardized form. The cost of this particular supplement is excellent. Each 500 mg
capsule costs only twenty cents and provides the equivalent active ingredients of
several cups of green tea. Milligram for milligram this is 50 – 80% less than what
other brands cost.
The Synergy line of multivitamins from NSI also contain standardized green tea
extract. Finally, Vitacost provides numerous popular green tea products in the tea
bag format for those that like to brew their own.
Celestial Seasonings Antioxidant Green Tea Supplement with Caffeine
Long Life Teas Organic Green Tea
Alvita Chinese Green Tea