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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