Green Tea Diet
Obesity has become one of the major health issues
in our society today. More than half of the American population is
overweight or obese. As a result, diet and weight loss plans have
become increasingly popular. But not all diet plans work. And not
all of them are necessarily risk-free. A safer alternative for
people wanting to lose weight are green tea diets.
About Green Tea
For thousands of years, green tea diet has been
highly valued by the Chinese as an herbal and medicinal drink. It
was believed that green tea diet was first discovered by the Chinese
Emperor Shen Nung who was boiling water when the leaves of a nearby
tree fell into his pot. The result was the first ever pot of green
tea.
Like all three of the major Asian teas in the
market, green tea comes from the plant called Carmellia sinensis.
Much of the health benefits of green tea diets owe to the steaming
method of making it. As opposed to black and oolong tea which
undergoes full oxidization, green tea diet is only gently steamed,
preserving the natural antioxidants in its original form.
The Health Benefits
of Green Tea Diet
There are many health benefits associated with
having a green tea diet. One of these green tea diet benefits is
preventing cancer. Certain substances present in green tea diets are
said to help in destroying cancer cells without harming any
neighboring tissues. This substance in green tea diets is called
epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG.
EGCG in green tea diets is also helpful in
increasing the 24-hour energy expenditure of the body. A study on
green tea diets conducted by American and Swiss scientists in the
University of Geneva showed an additional increase of four percent
in the body’s natural energy expenditure. People who were on a green
tea diet were more likely to use up more fats than those not on a
green tea diet.
Also, green tea diets are said to greatly help in
lowering down cholesterol levels in humans. The study on green tea
diets was conducted in China using 240 people with high cholesterol
levels as subjects. These people were placed on a green tea diet of
one capsule (equivalent to seven cups of green tea) or were given
one placebo every day. After twelve weeks, those who were on a green
tea diet dropped sixteen percent in their cholesterol levels.
Green tea diets can also be a potential cure to
obesity. The catechin polyphenols present in green tea diets can
delay the reaction of gastric and pancreatic lipases in the body.
These enzymes are responsible for converting calories in the body
into fats. By delaying these enzymes, green tea diets can therefore
stop fat from being stored and prevent obesity in people.
Green tea diets contain substantial amount of
caffeine that make it a mild appetite-suppressant. However, caffeine
content in green tea diets is not as high as those found in other
caffeine-based beverages, like coffee. Caffeine may be harmful for
the body since an excess of it can cause heart palpitations,
hypertension, and insomnia. Because green tea diets contain only
very low levels of caffeine, there is no danger of experiencing
these side-effects.
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