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One capsule daily with or without food, or as recommended by a healthcare practitioner. |
Herbal extracts are among the world’s best studied nutrients and have been researched for years in leading European universities and hospitals. Some have been in clinical use in Europe for decades, with millions of documented cases.
Almost all of what we know as modern day medicine has been derived either directly or indirectly from folk medicine, which relies on herbal treatments. Even today, as much as 80% of the world (four billion people) use herbal supplements as part of their primary health care. Many of the drugs that are commonly used today are herbal in origin. In fact, the Office of Alternative Medicine of the National Institutes of Health reports that about one-fourth of the prescription drugs dispensed in the United States have at least one active ingredient derived from plant material.
Green tea polyphenols are members of flavonoids. Catechins found in green tea have been shown to provide a number of health-promoting benefits:
- Catechins are antioxidants with the ability to scavenge reactive oxygen species such as superoxide and the hydroxyl and peroxyl radicals1-5
- Catechins have fluid stabilizing properties6-7
- Catechins have a thermogenic (fat burning) effect in the body8
- Green tea can boost the effectiveness of enzymatic phase II detoxification9-14
- Catechins appear to help maintain healthy cell colonies15
The active constituents in green tea are polyphenols, with an antioxidant called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) being the most powerful. The antioxidant activity of EGCG is about 25-100 times more potent than vitamins C and E.16 One cup of green tea may provide 10-40 mg of polyphenols and has antioxidant effects that are greater than a serving of broccoli, spinach, carrots, or strawberries.
The botanical extract in Mega Green Tea Extract has been concentrated and dual standardized to ensure the highest quality, consistency, and biological activity. Each serving contains a small amount of caffeine (max. of 3.6 mg). Since one cup of decaffeinated tea contains at least 9 mg of caffeine, the amount of caffeine in this supplement will most likely not induce a stimulating effect.
Protecting Against Cardiovascular Disease
Heart disease and stroke are associated with a number of risk factors. The surprising news is that green tea appears to mitigate many of these risk factors.
Green tea has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol and serum triglyceride levels. The potent antioxidant effects of green tea inhibit the oxidation of LDL cholesterol in the arteries. The oxidation of LDL cholesterol plays a major contributory role in the formation of atherosclerosis
The formation of abnormal blood clots (thrombosis) is the leading cause of heart attack and stroke, and green tea has been shown to inhibit abnormal blood clot formation as effectively as aspirin. When looking at coagulation risk factors in the blood, green tea specifically inhibits platelet aggregation and adhesion via effects that differ from those of aspirin.
Green tea reduces the risk of arterial blood clotting by two known mechanisms. First, green tea inhibits thromboxane A2 formation, as does aspirin. Second, green tea inhibits another clotting agent called platelet activating factor (PAF). Reducing thromboxane A2 levels is highly desirable. Thromboxane not only causes arterial blood clots, but also causes arterial constriction. The inhibition of thromboxane can prevent a heart attack or a thrombotic stroke.
Green tea also has been shown to elevate levels of HDL, the good cholesterol that helps remove atherosclerotic plaque from arterial walls.
Note that aspirin has some anti-thrombotic effects that differ from green tea, such as inhibition of cyclooxygenase. If you are taking low-dose aspirin to prevent a heart attack or stroke, you should continue doing so even if you also consume green tea.
If you are going to use green tea to lower cholesterol, triglycerides or thrombotic risk factors, make sure you have your blood tested and evaluated by a competent medical professional.
Lowering Blood Pressure
The loss of arterial elasticity is one cause of high blood pressure. Youthful arteries expand and contract effortlessly with each heart beat. Aging causes a loss of arterial elasticity. As noted above, green tea inhibits thromboxane production, which is one cause of arterial constriction. A more significant cause of hypertension is an enzyme secreted by the kidneys called angiotension-converting enzyme (ACE). Popular drugs such as Capoten, Vasotec and Zestril function as angiotension-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors). By blocking the effects of ACE, blood pressure is reduced significantly in most hypertensives. Green tea is a natural ACE inhibitor. Published studies show lowered blood pressure in animals and humans given green tea extracts.
If you are going to use green tea to treat hypertension, do so only under the supervision of a competent medical professional who can evaluate whether it is working for you. Regular blood-pressure testing is mandatory.
Lowering Blood Sugar Levels
When starch is consumed, it requires the enzyme amylase to break it down into simple sugars that can be absorbed in the blood stream. Green tea polyphenols inhibit amylase. One study showed that just one cup of green tea inhibited amylase activity by 87%. Another study showed that green tea extract reduced the normal elevation of glucose and insulin when 50 grams of starch were ingested.
High blood levels of glucose and insulin predispose people to diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and are associated with accelerated aging. For many people, sugar is the primary culprit in the accumulation of body fat. One animal study showed a significant reduction in body fat in response to green tea catechin supplementation.
A More Efficient Extraction Method
The price of green tea extract is based on the cost of extracting the polyphenols from organic green tea leaves into a concentrated, standardized powder. Until recently, the extraction technology for green tea was relatively primitive, resulting in green tea capsules being fairly expensive.
The increased consumer demand for green tea polyphenols, however, has resulted in several companies improving their extraction methods. The result: consumers can now obtain standardized green tea capsules at half the price.
Important Note for Hepatitis and Cancer Patients
Healthy people should not have to worry about the caffeine in the recommended dose of one 280-mg green tea extract capsule a day. However, cancer and hepatitis patients may need to take 5 to 8 of these 280-mg capsules a day, and that might be too much caffeine for some people to tolerate. A review of the scientific literature shows that some cancer patients should avoid caffeine. Other studies show that caffeine works synergistically with green tea polyphenols against cancer.
To accommodate those who are overly sensitive to caffeine, the Life Extension Buyers Club will continue to offer its Decaffeinated Green Tea Extract. Each bottle contains 100 500-mg capsules that provide 115 mg of polyphenols per capsule. The price per bottle is the same as bottles with 280-mg capsules, but because the decaffeinated capsules are only a 23% extract (compared with the new 83% extract), the cost per milligram of active polyphenols in the decaffeinated product is twice as high. The Foundation will continue to search for a more potent decaffeinated green tea extract.
What Else Can Green Tea Do?
Some studies show that the polyphenols most prevalent in green tea (the catechins) are far more potent in suppressing free radicals than vitamins C or E.
Green tea can kill bacteria. Taking green tea with meals may reduce the risk of bacterial food poisoning. Drinking green tea may kill oral bacteria that cause cavities and bad breath. Green tea also is effective against a strain of staph that has become antibiotic-resistant. Green tea promotes the growth of friendly bifidobacteria in the intestine and prevents the growth of dangerous intestinal bacterial strains such as clostridia and E. coli.
The polyphenols in green tea suppress the production of an uremic toxin (methylguanidine) to improve the clinical appearance of the kidney after renal failure. A human study showed that the toxic compound methylguanidine decreased significantly one month after the administration of green tea polyphenols. Six months later, the mean methylguanidine level was about 70% of what it had been at the initiation of treatment.
The Japanese drink green tea to suppress foul breath caused by certain foods. The deodorizing effect of green tea leaves has been known for centuries, and tea leaves traditionally have been used as deodorants. A study demonstrated the deodorizing action of green tea polyphenols in a test against methyl mercaptan, the compound most closely associated with halitosis. Green tea also has been shown to suppress bad smells produced by trimethylamine and ammonia.
Green tea inhibits several viruses, including viral hepatitis. And, while high stores of iron preclude successful treatment of hepatitis C, green tea lowers iron levels throughout the body and may have a direct anti-viral effect against certain strains of the hepatitis C virus. Thus, green tea is highly recommended for hepatitis patients who may have too much iron in their livers. Further, iron interacts with the hepatitis B and C viruses to generate free radicals that cause cirrhosis of the liver. Excessive iron in the liver also precludes successful treatment with ribavirin and interferon.
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