Saturday, April 7, 2012

Green tea can save lives, and your breath.

We all know drinking one or two cups of green tea every day is not only a tasty way to relax. But a new study published in the Journal Archives of Oral Biology (say that 3 times fast) tell us it could help you fight bad breath and even prevent mouth and esophageal cancer. Not that we really needed another reason to love green tea.

In this latest study Dr. Meenakshi Bajaj, dietitian at the Rajiv Gandhi government general hospital. Shares along with fellow researchers that the antioxidants, called polyphenols, found in the tea, help in eradicating several compounds in the mouth that can lead to bad breath, tooth decay and even mouth cancer. You had me at eradicating compounds.

The properties of Polyphenol an antioxidant found in the tea, called epigallocatechin 3 gallate or better known in the tea world as (EGCG) (watch the ninja tea video from an earlier post for more on that) helps reduce dental plaque and thus destroys the bacteria that cause bad breath. Knowing this may just increase green tea orders on the first date, especially if you ordered the garlic chicken.
Dr. Bajaj points out that “Green tea is rich in flavonoids and has a lot of antioxidants. The presence of polyphenols makes it anti-carcinogenic and helps in preventing cancer. Green tea also increases the metabolic rate and reduces the risk of Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s,” plus don't forget... It tastes great AND is less filling!

Prior studies show that tea helps reduce cardio-vascular problems, helps with weight loss, is a great immunity booster and it's unconfirmed, but rumor has it that it also makes you look really cool in front of your friends.
We see green tea popping up everywhere, it's in the news, on TV and it's becoming quite the "beverage to be seen with" amongst the stars, just check out the site: http://famouspeopledrinkingtea.tumblr.com/ if you don't believe me.

“A lot of people are consuming green tea these days and it is a healthy trend. However, it is potassium high, so patients suffering from kidney failure should refrain from drinking green tea,” said Dr Bajaj. But let's not focus on the negative, for all it's benefits, Dr. Oz in the May issue of Woman's Day (my wife gets it... Really) tells us "green tea is a great replacement for soda, and high calorie energy drinks which give you a quick sugar rush but then you crash." And with 1/4 the caffeine of coffee it won't give you the jitters reminiscent of those late night college cram sessions.

So drink on for your health and feel confident that your breath and your body exude a healthy glow...

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