Do green tea and health benefits go hand in hand? The answer depends on how much caffeine you are getting, total every day. If increased consumption pushes you over the 500mg per day mark, then you may expect to experience insomnia, rapid heart beat, nervousness, anxiety, high blood pressure and other health problems.
A little caffeine is okay. Moderation is the basic key to drinking or eating anything. I’m not particularly a fan of the beverage, but I do want the benefit, so I choose to take a multi-nutritional supplement that contains it. That might be the best choice for you, too.
Studies concerning green tea and health benefits that may accompany it were mostly conducted using the extract. Found within the leaves are unique antioxidants called catechins and polyphenols, such as Gallic acid. Gallic acid is abundant in various medicinal plants, including witch hazel and oak bark.
Catechins are abundant in teas derived from camellia plants and are present to a lesser extent in some cocoas and chocolates. It is because of the catechin-content that some dark chocolates are advertised as “healthy”.
The antioxidant content found in plants varies depending on their age and where they are grown. The better supplement manufacturers test the raw ingredients for catechin-potency and list the amount of catechins that are present in the extracts that they use.
The bottled beverages that you see in stores contain few, if any catechins. The amount that can be found in home-brewed teas will depend on the steep time, the longer the better. But, the only way to get a reasonable standardized amount every day is through supplementation.
The results concerning green tea and health benefits have all been very promising. Here’s a quick look at some of them.
Inhibits growth of cancerous tumors
Reduces risk of certain types of cancer
Reduces risk of heart disease
Increases fat oxidation and insulin sensitivity during exercise
Improves cognitive function, may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease
Beneficial in treating Crohn’s disease
Reduces DNA damage from free radicals
Reduces inflammation, relieves arthritis
If memory serves me, those are the primary benefits. Other antioxidants, such as resveratrol, have similar affects. Other natural anti-inflammatories, such as alpha lipoic acid, carnosine and turmeric are also valuable.
Judging by all of this research, it appears that green tea and health benefits do go hand in hand. But, if we want to live long healthy lives, we need to focus on “optimal” nutrition. Despite what some people in the health industry may say, there is no way to get all of the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that you need every day, without supplementation.
Vitamin D deficiencies are on the rise and play a role in osteoporosis and other age-related diseases. Doctors aren’t likely to check for nutritional deficiencies, unless someone has acute symptoms. They ignore the chronic symptoms, such as fatigue and depression. Now that you know a little more about green tea and health benefits that accompany it, you might want to learn more about how you can protect your long-term health. If you have a few minutes to spare, please feel free to take a look at my website now.
By: Gordon Hall
Posts Tagged ‘Supplement Manufacturers’
A Practical Guide On Complete Multivitamins
August 4th, 2009Many of us have a hard time deciding what the best multivitamin is for us. This is completely confusing and difficult especially when there are so many bottles to scan in the various aisles of the health food store or the supermarket. One must consider every variable – the vitamins and minerals listed, potency, purity, safety, storage, freshness and of course, cost. How then could one take the risk of making an uninformed choice? It is always wise to have some help.
Therefore this article will serve as a guide for selecting the complete multivitamins you need. This will assist in the decisions you make when you are looking for that multivitamin for you and your family.
Remember that the daily recommended allowance for the intake of vitamins and minerals is somehow insufficient. Over the years, Americans relied on the US RDS or the Recommended Dietary Allowance to come up with a chart of how much nutritional multivitamin supplement they should intake. Generally, this can be answered by the individual who is taking the vitamins and minerals because he or she alone knows how much dosage is intended for him or her.
Standards by the RDA may have been updated throughout the years but there has been an establishment of the minimum level of the required vitamins, minerals and nutrients which an adult must take in a daily basis. This is for him to enjoy a long life because of his health.
Nutritionists and scientist believe that the recommended dosages from the RDA may not be sufficient enough in order to prevent the diseases that could combat a person’s health. In addition to this, various conducted researches have shown that the medical industry has become resistant to the recommended supplements.
It is interesting to note that the best multivitamins are those meeting the pharmaceutical standards. At the moment, there are no FDA regulations which require supplement manufacturers to comply on the standard practices while the manufacturing of the vitamins is taking place. The FDA is responsible in correcting this but ironically, there is no guarantee that the label on the bottle is what exactly is in the bottle.
The next question one must consider is whether the vitamin supplements are safe to take. Well, for one a vast majority of the ingredients in multi vitamins are safe to begin with. The case will be different if these are taken at once. The main concern though is the impact of these components when taken together.
For example, pure Vitamin A or what is known as Retinol is an essential nutrient which can become toxic once taken in large amounts. Research shows that Vitamin A is a leading cause in birth defects. But there is good news to this. A benefit of Vitamin A is realized through its alternative which is Beta Carotene. It may not have as much toxic properties but is transforms Vitamin A when needed.
Iron is another essential nutrient which most multivitamin has. However, it must also be regarded with caution despite its importance on the human body. For one, iron deficiency results to problems in the immune system like heart disease and lack of cognitive ability.
There are optimal daily intake lists that can be acquired from your doctor so you can know how much vitamins and minerals should be taken every day. Remember, the dosage varies from one person to another so it’s best that you ask for your doctor’s opinion.
By: Mario Churchill
