Green Tea Supplements on sale for antioxidants and weight loss benefits.
What is amazing about green tea is its reported ability to ward off many types of cancer. Much of the initial evidence that green tea is anti-carcinogenic is based on epidemiological studies which show lower rates of many types of cancer among populations such as Japan and China that drink
green tea as part of a daily cultural habit. Recently, however, controlled studies on green tea extract have yielded impressive results, identifying the polyphenol (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) as the responsible component. EGCG is able to force certain cancer cells into a situation in which, incredible as it may seem, they must die or be killed; the cancer cells die in a sort of cellular suicide, a condition scientists call "apoptosis". Further evidence shows EGCG as having an inhibitory effect on the enzyme, urokinase, which is required for tumor formation, thus preventing the formation of tumors in the first place.3,4,8-11,14-20,22-27,35
Not only are the polyphenols in green tea protective against certain cancers, but they are also potent antioxidants. Green tea's antioxidants have been shown to be highly beneficial to the heart - they help prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol.29-33
