For years, we’ve been praising the virtues of an extraordinary beverage.
Studies show it fights cancer, arthritis, dementia, anxiety, and more.1
Now, new research shows that green tea may reign above all other superfoods. It may be the healthiest thing you can put in your body.
A recent study found its vast benefits include weight loss, stable blood sugar, and better memory. And it showed it provides protection from health damage caused by a typical Western diet high in sugar and processed ingredients.2
Scientists found that one compound is responsible for green tea’s health-boosting potency. It’s called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG).
Researchers at Northwest A&F University in China randomly divided mice into three groups. A control group was fed a healthy diet. A second group was fed a Western diet high in carbs and additives. A third group was fed a Western diet plus EGCG.3
After 16 weeks, as you would expect, the mice on the Western diet had packed on weight. But those fed a Western diet plus EGCG did not put on significant weight. They weighed about the same those who ate a healthy diet.
Then the researchers tested the animals’ cognitive abilities. They put them through a maze to see how long it would take them to solve it. The EGCG group beat both other groups. And when they were put in the maze a second time, they showed better memory of how to escape.
The researchers studied the brain cells of all three groups. Those on a Western diet had significant brain inflammation. But those on the Western diet plus EGCG had no inflammation. Nor did the group on the healthy diet.
Finally, scientists tested the animals’ insulin resistance. It can cause high blood sugar and lead to diabetes.4
Again, the mice on a Western diet had high levels of insulin resistance. Those in EGCG group had normal insulin efficiency, just like mice eating a healthy diet.
Mice are considered good metabolic models for humans. In addition to sharing 99% of our genes, they have similar organ, endocrine, and nervous systems.5
The study concluded that EGCG prevents much of the damaging weight, brain, and blood sugar effects caused by poor eating habits.
One Green Tea Packs Twice the Health Benefits
EGCG may be nature’s most potent natural antioxidant. It is at least 100 times more powerful than vitamin C.
But not all green teas have the same amount of EGCG. Matcha tea comes from young green tea leaves grown in the shade. This causes the tea to have more EGCG and up to twice the antioxidant power and nutrients of regular green tea.6
You can find matcha tea at your local health food store, or, if there is one in your neighborhood, a tea shop. If you can’t find it there, it’s easy to order online. You’ll find that it tastes much like regular green tea, but slightly stronger. Make sure you order a brand that is organic.
ECGC supplements are also available. The suggested daily dosage is 400 mg. It’s best if you divide the dosage, taking 100 mg four times a day.
One last and important piece of information: Never drink green tea or take EGCG supplements when you are eating foods high in iron or taking an iron supplement.
The iron molecules bind to the EGCG. This stops your body from absorbing EGCG. Wait at least two hours after consuming foods with iron before you drink green tea. Iron-rich foods include liver, beef, lentils, spinach, sardines, and pistachios.7
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References:
1 http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/269538.php
2 https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-07-green-tea-ingredient-ameliorate-memory.html
3 http://www.fasebj.org/content/early/2017/07/20/fj.201700400RR
4 https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/what-is-diabetes/prediabetes-insulin-resistance
5 https://www.jax.org/research-in-action/why-mouse-genetics
6 http://matchasource.com/health-benefits-of-matcha-tea/
7 https://www.institutefornaturalhealing.com/2016/04/never-drink-green-tea-with-this-mineral/