Green Tea Antioxidants - How Are They Beneficial?

By Jonathan Judd


A lot of health specialists are advising veggies and fruits to be included in a daily diet regime. There are plenty of good reasons to the advice, but one of the reasons is antioxidants that most fruits and veggies supply. Just what are antioxidants? Why are they so important?

Process of oxidation takes place all around us from piece of banana turning brownish color to rust in a machine. It is a natural activity which also occurs inside a body. Our body system generally copes with oxidation well, but sometimes it leads to cell damage. The damaged cells are called free radicals. Free radicals are molecules with unpaired electron. Because it is unpaired, it will try to steal an electron from another molecule. When this reaction becomes excessive, it could cause numerous health threats most notably cancer, cardiovascular disease and arthritis. Radiation, cigarette smoke and pollution also lead to the creation of free radicals. Antioxidants are substances that neutralize free radicals.

By supplying an electron to free radicals, antioxidants prevent cell damage. It is important to consume healthy foods that provide antioxidants every day to be in good health. Most fruit and veggies make the perfect source of antioxidants because of vitamins E and C. Vitamins are acknowledged to be one of the best antioxidants. Fruits and vegetables such as strawberry, kiwi, papaya, spinach, bell pepper, and broccoli are a wonderful source of vitamin C and E. But these vitamins are not the sole supply of antioxidants and actually they are certainly not the most effective source.

Increasingly more dieticians agree with the fact that Epigallocatechin or generally known as EGCG is a more powerful provider of antioxidants compared to vitamins C and E. A lot of experts agree that EGCG is 100 times more effective than vitamin C and 25 times more beneficial compared to vitamin E in eliminating free radicals. EGCG is a substance included in green tea. A number of the widely known tea positive effects include preventions against LDL cholesterol, depressive disorders, cardiovascular disease, cancer and weight gain.

There were a lot of clinical studies about the effects of green tea on cancer cells. The end results indicate the serving of 300mg of EGCG daily to be the most ideal amount. A cup provides about 100mg of EGCG. Far more case studies are in the process, but for now 3 cups per day is an ideal amount.

At this time there are quite a few methods to consume green tea. Traditional way is to brew and to drink the tea. This is good especially when consumed while having food. One additional preferred way is to mix tea powder with citrus water. Blending lemon with EGCG is actually recognized to boost the health rewards. A practical way is to take tea pills. This is wonderful for individuals disliking the bitter tea taste.




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