Are Green Tea and Green Tea Supplements The Same

You have likely drunk gallons of tea if you grew up in the south. The typical tea glass for dining out is Texas-sized – 24 to 36 ounces. Depending on the restaurant, you may be able to order green tea. But are Green Tea Supplements really the same as green tea?

The second most popular drink is tea, after water. However, in the United States, where there are many beverage options, tea consumption falls behind soft drinks, beer, milk and coffee.

We receive regular requests for Cooper Complete green tea supplements, despite the fact that they are Texas-sized.

Cooper Aerobics believes that science is the foundation of everything. Is there a lot of science or little? Are the studies primarily done with mice or humans? What length and how long are the studies?

Are the results consistent across multiple studies? Is there anything that could be considered “red flags” if the ingredient is found to have a potentially harmful effect on any particular group? Is there any consensus on the “appropriate” dose for healthy individuals, in order to improve health? It takes many years to build a scientific base on an ingredient. However, if it doesn’t have the support of science, it won’t be added to Cooper Complete. We’ve examined tea with these questions in mind.

Green Tea, Black Tea and Oolong Tea Explained

All types of tea, including black, white, oolong, and green, are made from the same camellia Sinensis plant. The tea leaves undergo a process that involves wilting, rolling, and then storing them in a humid place to encourage enzymatic change. The main difference between the types is how long the tea leaves are kept in a humid environment and how much oxygen they absorb. The antioxidant in tea is oxygen. It oxidizes the tea the same way that a sliced apple turns brown and then black. While black tea is the most oxidized and has had the most exposure to oxygen, white tea is the lightest and has the lowest oxygen levels. There are two types of tea: unoxidized green tea and partially oxidized oolong tea. The herbal tea is not a tea. It’s simply a mixture of dried flowers, fruits, and herbs.

The green tea process involves steaming the tea leaves and withering them. Oolong tea is semifermented and black tea fermented. All teas contain polyphenols. These powerful antioxidants can neutralize free radicals. There are six main catechin compounds. The most common is epigallocatechin 3-o–gallate (EGCG). Green tea has more of these catechins because it undergoes oolong fermentation.

Tea Health Benefits

Research supports green tea, especially green tea, and its positive effects on health. There are good results. In January 2012, the Archives of Internal Medicine published a study that showed that green tea had a drop in blood pressure after three cups.

In the April 2012 Tufts Nutrition Letter, researchers at the University of Western Australia reported that a group of people who consumed three cups of black-tea daily experienced a drop in systolic and diastolic blood pressures of about two to three points. This was compared to a control group who didn’t drink tea but did consume caffeine over a six-month period. Research on tea has shown that polyphenols found in the tea could improve the function and health of blood vessels’ inner cells. These antioxidant compounds have also been linked to a reduction in abdominal fat and body mass, which could affect blood pressure.

Environmental Nutrition reported in June 2012 that green tea appears to lower inflammation and pain in arthritis.

Joshua Lambert, PhD, a researcher at Pennsylvania State University, studies the effects of dietary phytochemicals on obesity and fatty liver disease. Dr. Lambert gave obese mice a green-tea compound (equivalent in 10 cups of green coffee for humans) and a high fat diet for six weeks. The high-fat diet was the only option. However, the study showed that mice who received the green tea compound gained 45 percent less weight than those who ate the low-fat diet. The compound caused a 30% increase in fecal cholesterols, which may have limited fat absorption. Dr. Lambert explains that “there seem to be two prongs” to this compound. The first is that it reduces fat absorption and the second enhances fat utilization.

An American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2010 study found that green tea with 45 mg caffeine and 200m EGCG had a small effect on weight loss. The September 2011 issue of Environmental Nutrition reports that 270 mg ECGC (green-tea extract) can help to burn 50 to 100 extra calories per day for overweight people who also follow a low-calorie diet.

Green Tea Health Recommendations

Cooper Clinic Registered Dietitians are aware of the health benefits of green tea (and tea in general) and can offer these tips about tea:

• Take a cup of tea. All types of tea can be good but green tea is the best and most popular.
• Two eight-ounce cups of green coffee should be consumed twice daily. The research shows that a “cup” is not eight ounces. Many studies reviewed showed that “cups” weighed as little as 3.4 ounces.
• You can drink whatever you like. Every brand and every type of tea tastes different. Many grocery stores sell tea in bulk. Loose tea is more flavorful and can be an affordable alternative to regular tea. You can also experiment with different blends.
• Freshness is important. As tea ages, the level of EGCG as well as other catechins drops dramatically. Six-month-old green tea leaves have EGCG levels that are almost 30% lower than fresh leaves.
• What you put in your tea is important. The body can absorb more catechins if it has a little lemon or other citrus fruit. However, adding milk to the tea can make it harder for the body.
• Green tea is delicate. You should brew black tea with boiling water at 212 degrees. However, water heated over 180 degrees damages green tea’s catechins, along with oolong, and white tea’s. This is a problem because electric kettles heat water to boil and Keurig(r), systems brew at 192 degrees. However, the latest systems can adjust the temperature down to 187 degrees.
• There are many factors that affect the amount of caffeine in tea. The tea steeping time effects the caffeine levels in tea. Also, the type of tea you choose, and where the tea leaves are located. The caffeine content of green tea is typically between 24 and 40 mg per eight-ounce cup. Black tea has an average of 14 to 61 mg.

Green Tea Supplement Concern

What is the problem with all this positive news? Although EGCG is safe for the body, the higher levels of EGCG worry Dr. Lambert. Dr. Lambert’s laboratory also discovered that high-dose EGCG was causing liver damage in mice.

There is a second export report of American Institute for Cancer Research’s, Food, Nutrition, and Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective. It warns everyone, often derived from supplement use, interacts negatively with blood clotting drugs such as aspirin.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) stopped recommending antioxidant health claims in foods, including green tea, in 2010. As much of the evidence supporting green tea’s health benefits were derived from animal and laboratory studies, the endorsement was withdrawn.

There are many potential issues with blood clotting and liver damage. Dr. Lambert emphasizes that green tea benefits are not always safe and that there are foods in the diet with biological activity. This can either be good or bad depending on how much you drink. This is the issue of “if something’s good enough, more isn’t always better.”

Cooper Complete constantly also reviews their green tea supplements product lines and analyzes the most recent scientific research. However, there are currently no plans to include green tea supplements in their supplement line. To determine if green tea extract or green tea tea is truly healthy, there needs to be long-term research.