Origin and history of green tea
The history of green tea looks back on a long tradition and extends over a period of more than 5000 years. A legend says that in 2737 BC green tea was discovered by the Chinese emperor Chen Nung at the time. A leaf of a wild tea bush blew into a bowl of hot water. This is how the first infusion came about. In the beginning, the Chinese only used green tea as a remedy, and it became the epitome of vitality, health and longevity. Only a few centuries later was the valuable green tea discovered as a luxury food and drinking tea became part of everyday culture.
Green tea is made from the same plant (Camellia sinensis) won like black tea. To make green tea, the leaves are simply dried. For black tea, the leaves are fermented, giving them the special black color. During fermentation, however, exactly the health-promoting ingredients of the tea - the so-called polyphenols - are broken down. If the tea is unfermented, i.e. green, the polyphenols are retained to a greater extent.
Polyphenols - powerful phytochemicals
The polyphenols are among the most important components of green tea. Polyphenols are aromatic compounds and are counted among the secondary plant substances. The most health-promoting effects are attributed to the catechins, a group of certain polyphenols. They are also responsible for the bitter taste of the tea. Green tea catechins include epicatechin (EC), epicatechin gallate (ECG), and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Other ingredients in green tea include various vitamins, minerals, caffeine and the amino acid theanine.
Stimulate fat burning: green tea - as a natural "fat burner"
Green tea also has a stimulating effect on the body and gives the body back the energy it needs when losing weight. Because when you lose weight, you often feel tired and exhausted.
The results of numerous scientific studies prove the slimming effect of green tea:
- Green tea extract decreases body fat accumulation and promotes weight loss (2)
- EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), found in green tea, reduces body fat mass (3)
- There is an association between green tea consumption and a lower percentage of body fat, as well as a smaller waist circumference (4)
- Green tea extract prevents obesity from overeating (5)
- Total fat percentage, subcutaneous fat, abdominal circumference and body weight can be reduced by consuming green tea for 12 weeks compared to the control group (6)
Green tea as a radical scavenger
Green tea is considered an antioxidant: it can protect our cells from oxidative stress. Oxidative stress - caused by so-called free radicals - plays an important role in the aging process. The more the body is exposed to oxidative stress, the faster the aging process begins. The formation of aggressive and highly reactive free radicals is unavoidable. The human body needs oxygen to live. Important metabolic processes for generating energy are not possible without oxygen. However, free radicals are formed during these complex processes. If the formation of free radicals exceeds a healthy concentration, one speaks of "oxidative stress". Free radicals in the body can be rendered harmless with the help of so-called antioxidants. Antioxidants bind themselves with the free radicals - that's why they are also called free radical scavengers. The polyphenols contained in green tea are important free radical scavengers metabolism can contribute.
The results of numerous scientific studies prove the positive effect of green tea on the blood vessels:
- Green tea extract improves vascular function in healthy women (7)
- Green tea catechins lower levels of oxidized LDL (8)
- Green tea protects LDL cholesterol from oxidation even in smokers (9)
Your daily green tea needs
In order to use the positive effects of green tea, about four cups should be drunk per day. In order to release as many active substances (polyphenols) as possible from the green tea leaf during preparation, a long steeping time is required. Unfortunately, this results in an unpleasant and very bitter taste. For regular long-term use, capsules are therefore high-quality green tea extract included, more appropriate.
Which AgilNature® products contain green tea?
| Product | milligram | * NRV |
| FigureAgile active | 100 mg | ** |
*Nutrient Reference Value = Percentage of the reference value according to Annex XIII of the Food Information Regulation (EG) No. 1169/2011.** No recommendation available.
Literature:
- Ushio H. et al: Effects of the long-term ingestion of tea catechins on energy expenditure and dietary fat oxidation in healthy subjects. Journal of health science, 51 (2) 248-252 (2005)
- Tsuchida et al .: Reduction of body fat in humans by long-term ingestion of catechins. Progress in medicine, 2002. 9(22): p. 2189-2203
- Nagao T. et al .: Ingestion of a tea rich in catechins leads to a reduction in body fat and malondialdehyde-modified LDL in men
- Wu CH et al .: Relationship among habitual tea consumption, percent body fat, and fat distribution. Obesity Research 11: 1088-1095
- Klaus S. et al .: Epigallocatechin gallate attenuates diet-induced obesity in mice by decreasing energy absorption and increasing fat oxidation. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord, 2005. 29(6): p. 615-23
- Nagao T. et al .: Tea catechins suppress accumulation of body fat in humans. J Oil Sci 2001; 50: 717-728
- Hakim IA et al.: Green tea consumption is associated with decreased DNA damage among GSTM1-positive smokers regardless of their hOGG1 genotype. J Nutr. 2008 Aug.; 138 (8): 1567S – 1571S
- Inami S. et al .: Tea catechin consumption reduces circulating oxidized low-density lipoprotein. Int Heart J. 2007 Nov; 48(6): 725-32
- Lee W et al.: Long term effects of green tea ingestion on atherosclerotic biological markers in smokers. Clin Biochem. 2005 Jan; 38(1): 84-7