Is Green Tea a Magic Bullet? Discover the Facts Behind the Myth 

 

Everyone says you should drink tea. Its medicinal properties are widely discussed everywhere. You will stand a smaller risk of suffering from cancer, heart disease, brain disease, arthritis, cirrhosis and diabetes. In addition, you will maintain your optimal weight while your skin, hair and nails will be much healthier. Green tea is extremely popular for its anti-aging and refreshing effect as well. It can even provide for relaxation and improve your mood.

But is all this too good to be true? It is perfectly natural to ask yourself whether these benefits are not far-fetched. In addition, there might be some side effects which can be harmful. It is worth asking whether green tea is actually a magic bullet or not.

There are a number of factors that you should consider in order to get an answer to this question. Firstly, you have to look at the scientific experiments which are made with green tea. A large number of them are done on lab mice. This is perfectly normal since humans should not be infected with a disease so that an experimental chemical compound can be tested on them. The results on lab animals are more than promising. They reveal that the antioxidants in green tea have the potential to prevent and cure cancer, Alzheimer, arthritis, diabetes and perhaps even AIDS. However, the scientists are not certain how much of these antioxidants will be necessary for the treatment of humans. In addition, they are also uncertain about the side effect that larger dosages may have on the body.

Other scientific tests involve the direct treatment of cancer and other damaged cells with green tea antioxidants. Again, the results are more than promising. The growth of tumors is inhibited by these powerful chemical compounds. Various clinical trials are performed on people too. These usually involve the consumption of brewed green tea. Most of these studies show optimistic results as well. However, in some cases green tea does not have any effect on the participants. There are also studies, which reveal that the chemical compounds in the dried leaves might actually increase the risk of some diseases, including certain types of cancer.

Another factor to be considered is the scale to which green tea is effective. The most notable example is weight loss. Some people believe that they can lose weight solely by drinking green tea. Regrettably, this is not possible. The antioxidants in the leaves increase metabolism and prevent the depositing of fat in the body, but only to a certain extent. In fact, one study has concluded that the consumption of green tea can boost your metabolic rate by no more than 4%. Hence, it is necessary for you to go on a slimming diet and to exercise in order to lose weight effectively. Green tea can just help you get the results more quickly and keep them for longer.

Generally, the scale to which green tea is effective is determined by its consumption. The plain statistics show that the percentage of people suffering from atherosclerosis and arthritis in countries where the drinking of green tea is traditional is much lower than in the rest of the world. It turns out that you need to consume relatively large amounts of green tea for a very long time in order to get the most complete beneficial effect.

The side effects of green tea are not widely discussed. This is probably due to the fact that the results from all studies showing that this herbal product might be harmful are inconclusive. Still, it should be noted that some of the chemical compounds in the plant are not beneficial for children who have different nutrition needs compared to adults. In addition, some green tea substances might interact with the ingredients of certain medications. For instance, caffeine is known to interfere with different types of hypertension medicines. On the other hand, even though this very same antioxidant in blamed for causing heart and sleeping problems, the most recent studies reveal that it can actually protect you effectively from colon cancer, diabetes and Parkinson’s disease.

Overall, it can be concluded that green tea is beneficial, even though it is not a magic bullet. You will certainly benefits from its medicinal properties and avoid suffering from any side effects, as long as you drink moderate quantities regularly.