Green Tea

Nutrition Discussions
1

Green Tea:-

Good addition to diet? Through what mechanisms does it work? Any negatives to its consumption?

Thanks

2

I know its packed with antioxidants but I’m a bit concerned about the levels of Caffeine… anyone?

3

There are many benefits of drinking green tea, such as the anti-oxidants as you mentioned, however I would not drink green tea on a daily level because of its contaminant level of flouride and its absorption into body tissues compounding overtime.

4

Drinking green tea on a daily basis has been found to lower testosterone levels.

5

References please…

6

Regarding Caffeine, if you read The Color Code, they point out that some of the research on green tea at Rutgers indicates that the caffeine provides much of green tea’s anticarcinogenic properties.

Regarding fluoride, I have read on a few web sites (I can’t remember which) that you can maximize the polyphenol content of tea and minmize the fluoride content by restricting the steeping time to 90 sec.

7

Check out Mercola’s take on green tea.

http://www.mercola.com/2000/sept/10/green_tea_fluoride_thyroid.htm

Although, I often find Mercola’s warnings a bit overblown.

8

Lower Test Levels??

I have heard this as well but John Berardi seems to be a big advocate of Green tea so what gives?

I did a quick search and came up with little. Here is some:

Green tea reduces body fat accretion caused by high-fat diet in rats through beta-adrenoceptor activation of thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue.

J Nutr Biochem (The Journal of nutritional biochemistry.) 2003 Nov; 14(11): 671-6
Additional Info: United States

-and this-

http://www.uchospitals.edu/news/2000/20000223-tea.html

note: “A person would have to drink green tea almost constantly to obtain these results”

-but-

http://www.keratin.com/ac/baldnesstreatments/greentea/002greenteabaldnessuse.shtml

Green tea may affect testosterone levels

9

you have too much time on your hands!

10

I wouldn’t put stock in Mercola’s study about lowering testerone level. They injected very high doses of green tea EXTRACT into rats. We are not rats and there are no studies that proved this case in humans.

About fluoride… It’s hard to tell. Calcium Fluoride which is safe for human consumption. Sodium fluoride is a byproduct waste from industries which you should be watching out for. I’m guessing it depends on where they’re grown from. According to Marcola, the levels are from polution but I don’t know where he studied the samples from.

It takes 4-10 cups depending on the quality of green tea leaves to have same effect as taking ONE capsule of green tea extract (of course it depends on the quality).

The antioxidant compound EGCG found in green tea is 100 times stronger than vitamin E and C. That’s how potent it is. Also, lots of other health benefits so drink them up! (or take a couple capsules of GT extract).

If you’re worried about caffiene, there are decaffinated GTE such as LEF (life extension food, very high quality supplements) and others I can’t recall.

Uses: One capsule GTE, 100-200 mg of caffiene pill, and one gram of tyrosine and you’ll be very alert!

One more thing… if you want to get GTE, look for at least 60% polyphenol with EGCG as marker compound.

11

I found this thread very telling:

http://forum.avantlabs.com/?act=ST&f=2&t=7045

It’s a decent review of the literature, but the telling point behind Green Tea and androgens was that these studies were also conducted with weight loss and calorie restriction. Calorie restriction and weight loss, as we all know, have detrimental effects on androgen status.

I guess the bottom line is for the most benefit, look for the extract.

Shaf

12

My concern with tea is the fluoride, not test reduction. Regarding Itruett’s comment on calcium fluoride, the original research linking fluoridated water with reductions in tooth decay involved naturally fluoridated water, which contained calcium fluoride, not sodium fluoride. The use of sodium fluroide, which is an industrial waste product, was instigated by one of FDRs cabinet members (I can’t remember the specific office), who just happened to be the chief counsel for ALCOA before joining the Roosevelt adminsitration. A little self dealing here?

13

Isn’t it also considered to be a mild laxative?

14

I think the stress of knowing what is wrong with everything we eat is higher than the actual ingredients!

15

That is true.

16

Aren’t all caffeinated drinks?

17

I think caffeinated drinks are considered to be diuretic(sp?) as opposed to being a laxative. I’m not sure.

18

http://www.esb.utexas.edu/palmer/bio303/group14/side.htm

caffeine is both a laxative and a diuretic

http://www.esb.utexas.edu/palmer/bio303/group14/CAFFEINE.HTM

this was a nice little report

19

Thanks for the links. I believe that though the green tea elicits weight loss much of this is due to these reasons, along with some positive phytochemical responses. Does it possess catechins, can’t remember?

20

I think caffeinated drinks are considered to be diuretic(sp?) as opposed to being a laxative. I’m not sure.