The big deal with green tea

There is a hype-train going around by the name of green tea and you might want to buy a ticket.

LAHORE:

Once a Pakistani enterprise takes to importing a foreign product and selling it under its own brand name, you know an item is officially on the ‘in’ list.

Green tea is no exception, and left, right and centre you see plenty of persuasion for you to join the bandwagon. Many, even veteran tea-drinkers, are quite comfortable being shepherded into the change. Others are more sceptical, waiting for some sort of corroboration before they concede that, indeed, green tea is the ‘next big thing.’ If you find yourself leaning towards the latter, read on.

Getting better acquainted with tea

Tea comes from the leaves of the plant Camellia sinensis. To begin with, it should be recognised that all types of tea — there is green, black and Oolong tea — are extremely healthy. This is because they are all an extremely rich source of catechins, a substance that has health-preserving properties across virtually the entire spectrum of disease. The notable distinction that green tea has attained within the health sphere has its etiology in its distinct manufacturing process.

Green tea is produced from fresh leaves, immediately steamed to prevent fermentation, while Oolong and black tea are partially and fully fermented respectively. This is actually where the former gets its green colour, because the steaming process allows the tea to retain its natural pigment. Most importantly however, since the more the leaves are fermented the lower the content of catechins that is retained, and the higher the content of caffeine, green tea represents the best presentation of the original tea leaf. The only drawback is a somewhat bitter flavour, which comes from the high ‘polyphenol’ content (which in turn is what contains the catechins itself.)

The catechin factor and the health effects — a big deal indeed

The aforementioned polyphenols are substances that are categorised as the familiar ‘antioxidants’ — chemicals in our body that protect us from ‘free radicals.’ The catechins within these polyphenols are an extremely powerful example of the afore, and are what have been found to give green tea most of its potent disease-fighting ability.

Summed up handsomely in an article in the Chinese Medicine Journal, Beneficial effects of green tea: a literature review, here is what green tea’s catechins have been firmly established or at least strongly linked with:

• Reduced risk of various cancers, including of the breast, lungs (especially in tobacco smokers) and most of the entire digestive and gastro-intestinal tract

• Lowering of blood pressure of up to 65% and thus significantly reducing the risk of stroke and heart disease

• Reduction of blood sugar in response to meals and strong anti-diabetic effects

• Increasing metabolic rate and fat burning to the degree of inducing anti-obesity effects

• Improving of bone density and singularly reducing fractures of the hip

• Others: prevention of neurological problems; strengthening of the immune system

• Not getting carried away — the overconsumption factor

Now, although the aforementioned should qualify green tea as one of the most powerful dietary additions you can make for yourself, claims such as ‘green tea is healthier than water’ are very much unfounded. Overconsumption of green tea is concerning for three reasons: caffeine content, aluminum content, effects on absorption of iron. Anyone to whom the above may concern, such as pregnant women (whose heart rhythm may be affected by caffeine), should not consume green tea in quantities beyond one to two cups per day.

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, people with kidney or liver problems, stomach ulcers or psychological disorders related to anxiety should not take green tea. For healthy people, two to three cups per day is recommended as ideal.

Technique and expertise

Additionally, one should know that all green teas are not equal: the catechin content and quality of a preparation varies according to the origin and growing conditions of the tea leaf. If you’re drinking green-tea in a recuperative setting, don’t go for economy. Additionally, take the advice of Harvard Women’s Health Watch: steep your tea for three to five minutes, drink it freshly brewed and avoid ready-to-drink, instant or de-caffeinated versions.

So yes, provided you’re willing to take the old-school route, green tea is for real.

The author is the head of Scholars by Profession, a local research-initiative. Find out more at www.facebook.com/scholarsbyprofession, or reach Haris at [e-mail]

Published in The Express Tribune, March 25^th, 2013.                

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