Green Tea Antioxidant Benefits

The green tea antioxidant activity is fairly well known. There are actually a number of different green tea antioxidants. Several of them are known collectively as catechins. Another is called gallic acid. Other polyphenols found in the plant are also active.

That’s why the best supplements contain extracts form the plant, rather than singling out a single green tea antioxidant. It is believed that all of the different polyphenols work together to provide the health benefits. Including only one of them would likely decrease the effectiveness of the supplement.

Some of the green tea antioxidants are found in other plants, as well. Some varieties of cocoa contain catechins, which is why chocolate is sometimes promoted as a “health” food. Gallic acid is found in witch hazel, oak bark and some other plants.

In nature there are over 4000 different polyphenol-antioxidants, which is one of the reasons that nutritionists recommend that we eat a variety of foods. Hopefully, we’ll get a little bit of everything.

Green tea antioxidants aren’t magic bullets. They are no more and no less important than any other. Some of the different ones are responsible for the color of fruits, vegetables and roots. This is the reason for the “rainbow” advertising campaign. The idea was to increase your antioxidant intake by eating orange, green, blue, purple, red and yellow fruits and vegetables.

The green tea antioxidant and those found in other plants battle two of the causes of cellular aging and life threatening disease: free radical damage and chronic inflammation. Both are factors in the formation of cancerous tumors, and both play a role in heart disease, our two big killers.

This is why green tea antioxidants are good for your heart and may help prevent prostate and breast cancer. A combination of catechins and gallic acid has been shown to reduce the number of free radicals and they act as natural anti-inflammatories. Different features have been found in other anti-oxidants.

For example, resveratrol, an anti-oxidant found in red grape skins, inhibits the growth of breast cancer tumors. It has been said to interfere with all stages of carcinogenesis and prolong the life of heart cells. Zeaxanthin, which is found in marigolds, protects the eyes from degenerative diseases that can cause blindness in the elderly. Rutin, a component of blue-green algae, helps eliminate cholesterol from the body. The list goes on and on.

You can buy the green tea antioxidant as a single supplement to add to your diet. Or, you could buy a supplement that contains green tea antioxidants and a variety of others. The one that I take also includes essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids.

Recently, there have been some reports about how dietary supplements are not beneficial. Most of them are not; the manufacturers use synthetic vitamins. They include the cheapest forms of minerals, which are not readily absorbed by the body. And, none of the big name brands include amino acids.

You will notice the benefits of a well designed supplement almost immediately. Just remember that you need more than the green tea antioxidant can provide alone.