Green Tea A Staple For Your Diet?
For centuries now, the benefits of green tea in your diet
has been the subject of countless writings and scientific
investigations.
More than four thousand years ago, green tea had become a
staple beverage for most Asians because of its countless health
and medicinal benefits.
It is said that the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung was the first
one to have discovered green tea. Emperor Shen Nung was
reported to have been boiling water when some leaves of a
nearby plant fell into his pot. The leaves came from a Camellia
sinensis plant, the herb from which green tea is extracted.
In a study conducted by American and Swiss scientists at the
University of Geneva, it was found that the EGCG found in green
tea can increase the 24-hour energy expenditure of the
body.
They concluded that this is due to the
ability of antioxidants present in green tea to stimulate
thermogenesis, or fat metabolism. According to their findings,
people who were on a green tea diet exhibited a significant
four percent increase in their normal metabolic rates.
Another study conducted in China was designed to investigate
the use of green tea in diets specifically concerning the
weight loss benefit. They decided that since green tea can
significantly increase fat metabolism, then green tea in the
diet probably would help to lower cholesterol levels as
well.
Their hypothesis was proven when they introduced green tea
in the diets of 240 people with mild to extremely high
cholesterol levels. After only twelve weeks, they observed that
those on a green tea diet dropped sixteen percent in their
cholesterol levels.
Based on this research, it can also be theorized that green
tea in your diet can help cure obesity. Green tea catechin
polyphenols can delay the reaction of gastric and pancreatic
lipases in the body. These enzymes are the ones responsible for
storing calories as fats in the body. By delaying these
enzymes, a green tea diet could lessen fat storage and help to
prevent obesity
A truly remarkable beverage, green tea is used to improve
the body's health in many ways.
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