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and oolong tea. The difference is in the processing. Green
tea is made from unfermented leaves, which leaves most of
its essential nutrients intact. These nutrients are
catechin polyphenols – active antioxidants that can help the body
combat free radicals that damage our systems and are at the
root of many common diseases. Antioxidants neutralize free
radicals and keep them from binding with molecules in the
body’s cells and damaging the DNA.
The
most powerful
catechin polyphenol is Epigallocatechin-3-gallatc (EGCG).
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic found that EGCG helps kill
cancer cells in the most common type of leukemia by cutting
off the communication signals they need to survive. EGCG
killed leukemia cells in eight out of ten blood samples in
patients that were tested. It has also been found to lower
LDL cholesterol levels and help to prevent blood clots.
In a study
published in May of 2001 in the International Journal of
Cancer, the UCLA School of Public Health and Jonnsson
Comprehensive Cancer Center found that drinking green tea
lowered the rates of chronic gastritis by half. Chronic
gastritis can cause precancerous lesions of the stomach.
Researchers at the University of Geneva in Switzerland
concluded from their study that catechin polyphenols alter
the use of norpinephrine, a chemical transmitter, in the
body to increase the metabolism. The men in the study
burned more fat calories than those taking the placebo.
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