Green tea is a drink, perhaps the oldest known person. For more than 4,500 years, mankind has found the taste of green tea unusual and unsurpassed. In Chinese medicine, it is used as a tonic - to improve concentration, increase memory, to treat headaches and stomach disorders, even as a means to improve vision or a means to combat alcohol intoxication. In addition, it perfectly quenches thirst and rejuvenates, while having a pleasant taste. Is it possible that one drink had so many unusual properties?
Green tea, like many other plants, contains polyphenols - organic compounds, which are known for their strong antioxidant effect. Scientists were convinced of how green tea positively affects health. Antioxidants in green tea are able to improve the immunity of cells, protecting them from unwanted oxidation processes. They bind free radicals, which in our body lead to many undesirable processes - premature aging, changes in the functioning of cells, or their death from cancer. Thus, a diet rich in antioxidants helps prevent cardiovascular diseases and cancer. It is believed that the polyphenols contained in green tea can delay the aging process, therefore, they are very popular in cosmetology. They are a part of essential oils and plant extracts. Many creams of leading cosmetic companies also contain extracts of green tea. The components included in it also contribute to an increase in bone mineral density.
Unfortunately, everything has its good and bad sides. According to recent studies, the same beneficial compounds found in green tea may increase the risk of developing anemia, because it inhibits the absorption of iron from food. Previous studies have confirmed that the polyphenols contained in the seeds of grapes and green tea interfere with the assimilation of iron from plant foods. This time, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania were convinced that this applies to iron contained in the component of hemoglobin. This form of iron is the most resorbable form of this element. You can find it in red and white meat or in fish. Polyphenols in combination with iron ions form complexes that can not penetrate from the gastrointestinal tract into the blood. Iron is a component of hemoglobin, which allows the transfer of oxygen. Thus, how green tea affects the healthy functioning of the body is far from unambiguous. Consumption of excessive amounts of polyphenols, in addition to the effect of rejuvenation of the body can bring anemia and hypoxia. Especially cautious in this regard should be pregnant and lactating women. They are particularly vulnerable to iron deficiency.
In addition, free radicals do not always destroy our health. Macrophages are cells of connective tissue, whose work is to protect the body from harmful substances and microorganisms. They use free radicals to fight everything that should not be in a healthy body. Cells, if they are "hungry" can themselves produce free radicals. Due to the effective oxidation of toxic substances, they themselves are removed from the body. Our cells are not completely helpless in the fight against free radicals. They are helped to remove glutathione from the body - a natural antioxidant that is produced in our bodies. Of course, proper nutrition helps to strengthen the resistance of free radicals. The production of glutathione is promoted by a diet rich in cysteine, glycine and vitamin C.
If you believe in the positive effect of green tea and other popular drinks such as mate, then special attention should be paid to the quality of the products that we buy. If you choose tea in bags, you should be sure of its composition. Often green tea does not consist only of green tea, but is a mixture of different varieties of tea - black and green. Or is it just a mixture of herbs and green tea.
Drinks based on green tea do not have the same properties as leaf tea, traditionally brewed according to original recipes. Recent studies in the US have shown that polyphenols contained in bottled teas are much less than in classical teas. To consume the same amount of antioxidants that are contained in one cup of brewed green tea, you should drink at least 20 bottles of a popular tea beverage in bottles. Unfortunately, they also contain a large amount of sugar and other substances that are absolutely not part of the green tea. A 0.5 liter bottle of tea drink usually contains about 150-200 calories, as well as many preservatives, flavors and colorants. Contrary to the assurances of producers, tea in bottles has little to do with a healthy lifestyle.
Dentists see their negative points in green tea. People who are prone to the formation of tartar, should not drink it at all. The leaves of green tea leave a hard-to-remove residue on the teeth, similar to the one that forms under the influence of tobacco smoke. It is interesting that black tea does not cause such damage as his cousin is green, although the drink from black tea is much darker.
Tea, along with water, is the most consumed beverage in the world. In the US, tea sales generate a profit of $ 7 billion annually. Green tea owes its popularity not only to the beneficial properties and the impact of green tea on health, but also to smart marketing. Should I drink it? Of course. However, the best companions in a healthy lifestyle are moderation and common sense. 3-5 cups of green tea a week can be beneficial to our health, but not a few cups a day.