Green Tea For Weight Loss And Lower Cholesterol

Green Tea For Weight Loss And Lower CholesterolCopyright (c) 2007 Marcus StoutGolden Moon Teahttp://www.GoldenMoonTea.comHigh cholesterol is one of the leading precursors to heartdisease. And, research has shown that our diet and lifestyle,combined with our genetics determines whether we have healthy orunhealthy cholesterol levels. To keep your cholesterol levels incheck and prevent heart disease, there are several measures youcan take.The first is diet. Cholesterol in food comes from animalproducts. Meat, eggs and dairy products are all culprits. Reducethe amount of red meat you consume, replacing it with fish orchicken. Use low fat dairy products and reduce the number of eggyolks you eat, or use egg substitutes. Increase the amount offresh fruits and vegetables in your diet and eat whole grainsrather than refined products like white flour.The second is exercise. Be certain to get at least 30 minutes ofexercise most days of the week. This will help you shed pounds ifyou need to, and will also help lower your serum cholesterol.Walking is a very good way to help get your daily dose ofexercise.In addition to making lifestyle and diet changes, many peopletake supplements to help control their weight and cholesterollevels. There are many supplements available, but one of the bestis something you likely have in your cupboard right now. It'stea - particularly green tea.Asian cultures have consumed green tea in large quantities forcenturies. And, throughout history they have had fewer problemswith obesity and lower incidences of heart disease and many formsof cancer. Scientists are beginning to find a link between thishigh green tea consumption and better health. Much research hasbeen performed on the ability of green tea to slow down the agingprocess and prevent illness.The magic potion in tea seems to be its anti-oxidants.Anti-oxidants, which are also found in fruits and vegetables,wine, cocoa and coffee, fight our bodies' free radicals. Freeradicals are created as a by product of our digestive process.Free radicals, left unchecked, damage our cells and DNA, leadingto aging and disease.But, anti-oxidants combat anti-oxidants before they can hurt ourbodies. This is why it's so important to have anti-oxidants aspart of your every day diet. All tea contains anti-oxidants, butgreen tea retains more of its anti-oxidants in their original,natural state because it goes through less processing than othertypes of tea.In particular, green tea's anti-oxidants have been shown to beeffective at reducing cholesterol levels and helping with weightloss. Tea prevents the oxidation of LDL cholesterol into plaque,the hard substance that clogs our arteries, making us moresusceptible to heart attacks and strokes.Studies have suggested that even if your LDL cholesterol level ishigh, drinking tea may prevent it from causing a problem. Tea isalso thought to have an anti-inflammatory effect, which helps theheart in its overall function.In addition, green tea seems to have the ability to help patientslose weight. For overweight patients, losing weight usually meansan automatic reduction in cholesterol levels. So, tea has a twofold effect for overweight patients with high cholesterol!In terms of weight loss, it appears that the combination of theanti-oxidants in green tea and the caffeine speeds up themetabolism and promotes the oxidation of fat. Both of theseattributes contribute to weight loss.In recent years, there have been several studies on green tea'sability to speed weight loss. One of the most interesting studieswas conducted by Osaka University in Japan.This study evaluated 98 men and 97 women, between the ages of 22and 65. All subjects were healthy, though some were moderatelyoverweight. The participants were divided into 3 groups. Thefirst group received a placebo drink, the second group a greentea drink with a low dose of tea catechins (anti-oxidants) andthe third group a green tea drink with a high dose of teacatechins.The study was conducted over a 12 week period, during which timeparticipants consumed their study beverage three times a day (atmeals). At the end of the twelve week period, participants whoreceived the green tea beverages had lost weight and reducedtheir body fat and BMI, unlike the group who consumed the placebodrink. The group with the higher dosage of tea catechins reportedmore success than the low dose group.This study concludes the way countless others have in recentyears: with the suggestion, at least, that drinking green tea canhelp you lose weight. And, losing weight can help you lower yourcholesterol. In addition, other studies have shown that green teamay help lower cholesterol levels even in subjects who did notlose weight.So, drinking green tea may provide double the results for thosepatients seeking to lose weight and lower cholesterol levels.Adding green tea to your diet, along with making dietary changesand getting the recommended amount of exercise each week may beall you need to get your cholesterol and your weight undercontrol. http://jhs.pharm.or.jp/51(2)/51_161.pdf -----------------------------------------------------Marcus Stout is President of the Golden Moon Tea Company. For more information about tea, (http://www.goldenmoontea.com/greentea) green tea (http://www.goldenmoontea.com/blacktea) and black tea go to http://www.goldenmoontea.com