Green tea is said to be an accidental discovery by the Chinese emperor Shen Nung in 2737 BC . However, it was not until several thousand years later that Buddhist monks introduced green tea to Japan. Ever since then it has been a common drink in South East Asia – popular because of its taste and health benefits. In some parts of Asia tea drinking has even evolved into a religious ceremony. Even though we in the Western world have known about tea for centuries we have not really used it for anything but a drink. It is not until now that green tea – with its distinct color and flavor - finally caught on in our part of the world. It is the least processed tea and the flavors, antioxidants etc. are therefore much better preserved in the tea leaves.
It has long been believed by Asian cultures that green tea prolongs life, prevents diseases and slows aging. Therefore green tea has also long been used in traditional Chinese medicine to cure various diseases from irregularity and slow metabolism to heart diseases and cancer. Companies selling green tea products here in the United States have used these beliefs and claims – especially about its weight management properties - to promote their products. Creating an entirely new industry where even giants like Lipton have made a new line of Lipton Iced Tea with various green tea flavors.
Green tea is known for its high levels of polyphenols - a known agent for protecting against cardiovascular diseases by preventing the oxidation of cholesterol and build up of plaque in the arteries. Green tea also contains a polyphenol called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) which is one of the most powerful antioxidants. Some claim that EGCG might explain or prove why green tea could have cancer fighting properties. The question however remains, is there scientific research and evidence to back up the claims about green tea.
Several studies have now been done on the effects of green tea. The result of one such study was published last year in The Journal of Nutrition. Researchers found that participants who consumed green tea beverages during an exercise-induced weight loss program lost more abdominal fat than those who did not drink the tea. They therefore concluded that their results suggest that consumption of green tea can enhance fat loss . These results would back up green tea being sold solely as a weight loss supplement. Another study was conducted by the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences at the University of Birmingham, U.K. on some of the health-promoting benefits of green tea consumption. The university found that the subjects’ average fat oxidation rates increased by 17% when using green tea as a supplement as well as a 13% increase in insulin sensitivity. Based on this they concluded that green tea can be used to increase fat oxidation and improve insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance .
Several other studies have been done citing that green tea can decrease muscle necrosis (University of Lausanne, Switzerland), prevent and fight skin cancer (University of Alabama) and help prevent periodontal disease (Kyushu University Faculty of Dental Science, Japan). However, despite these studies green tea does not seem to be getting much serious attention in the medical field. Instead is seems to be regarded as part of the alternative medicine field and over the counter weight loss/health industry.
The effect of green tea to today’s athlete or fitness enthusiast is quite obvious. During their pre-season when athletes are getting ready to compete green tea could be used as a safe way to assist in shedding adipose tissue. This will help them compete at a higher level without compromising their health or ingesting artificial or synthetic drugs. Also, taking green tea as a supplement will help prevent free radical damage. Studies done in Tochigi, Japan also suggest that consumption of green tea help endurance athletes. The results show that supplementing with green tea improved the athletes’ endurance capacity by as much as 24%. Based on this alone green tea should be a supplement taken by every endurance athlete out there. What runner or swimmer would not like to improve endurance and thereby performance by 24%?
In general green tea is to be preferred over a drug with similar effects simply due to the fact that it is a 100% natural product. If green tea – even when consumed in high doses – had any serious side effects chances are we would know about them by now since it has been around for centuries. As of today the only side effects reported are mild and restricted to e.g. diarrhea and restlessness (due to the caffeine). As Americans get more health and environmentally conscious, as we search for natural remedies and look more to nature for solutions the market for products like green is sure to grow.
The problem remains; how do you convince the average American, athletes and the medical field that green tea is not just that – a tea. If the claims about green tea hold to be true (more research is surely needed). Then we could have found our miracle drug of the 21st century and a natural one at that. One thing is for sure. With the mounting evidence green tea is on my list next time I shop for supplements.
