Risks and Benefits of Green Tea

Green tea has widely been hailed as a wonder drink that prevents many serious ailments. Its proponents claim that the health benefits of drinking green tea range from relief from mild symptoms to prevention of severe symptoms. It is supposed to have a beneficial effect on all the systems of the body. But is drinking green tea totally risk free or are there some risks involved that we should be aware of as well? The following paragraphs deal with the many benefits and risks of green tea.

Green tea has been used by the Chinese for over 4000 years. The ancient Chinese were aware of the medicinal benefits of drinking green tea and had used it for treating several conditions ranging from headaches to mental depression. In recent years a lot of research has been done on the health effects of green tea. Thus, for example, the National Cancer Institute reported in its journal in 1994 that in Chinese women and men the risk of getting esophageal cancer was reduced by as much as 60% by drinking green tea. Purdue University researchers have reported that green tea slows down the growth of cancerous cells.

Other researches have indicated that green tea can lower the overall cholesterol levels in the body and also that it improves the ratio of good cholesterol (HDL) to bad cholesterol (LDL), which is an added benefit. Those who drink green tea regularly have reported that it lowers arthritis and other joint problems. They also report that green tea helps in detoxifying the whole body. It is also reported to strengthen the circulatory as well as the immune systems. In fact green tea is reported to help in balancing all body systems. It also burns more calories than other caffeinated drinks.

It has been found that green tea helps in preventing tooth decay. This is the effect of the anti bacterial properties of green tea that are also helpful in preventing food poisoning. Also these properties have spawned a number of skin preparations made from green tea ranging from creams to deodorants. So what is the secret of drinking green tea? It lies in the fact that green tea is rich in the compounds known as catechin polyphenols particularly epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG which is known to be a powerful anti-oxidant. It is the ingredient that kills harmful cancer cells without causing any harm to healthy tissue. It also lowers the LDL cholesterol level and prevents the formation of blood clots thus preventing thrombosis which is the main cause of strokes and heart attacks.

One of the risks drinking green tea is insomnia from the caffeine present in green tea. However as it contains less caffeine than coffee this risk only becomes important if you go overboard in drinking green tea mistakenly thinking that more health benefits will accrue if you drink more of it. Drinking 4 to 6 cups of the tea is considered beneficial. Problems can arise when the green tea is used in excess to promote frequent bowel movements thinking mistakenly that it will speed up weight loss because of the plant based laxatives contained in it. Also too much tea drinking may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fainting, stomach cramps and constipation. These side effects are usually seen in people who are already compromised nutritionally because of rigorous weight-loss dieting.

Therefore, the benefits of green tea far outweigh the risks provided it is used in moderation