Dear Sue:

I have heard that drinking green tea may be beneficial. Can you tell me what those benefits are? Thanks,
Betsy

Dear Betsy:

Both green and black teas seem to have health benefits. These teas contain potent antioxidant compounds known as polyphenols, which are being linked with anticancer and anti-heart-disease effects. Studies are still incomplete and inconclusive, but so far they strongly suggest a protective effect against those two deadly diseases.

Green and black teas are the same plant processed in a different way. More of the polyphenols are destroyed in the black teas. So green teas seem to have more of the beneficial effects mentioned, but black teas also have them, just in shorter supply.

How Polyphenols Work
Laboratory studies indicate that the polyphenols in tea can help prevent cancer from forming and may stabilize or shrink present cancers and prevent them from spreading. This effect seems to lie in the polyphenols' ability to prevent the oxidation that causes damage to DNA, turning normal cells into cancer cells, plus it inhibits enzyme activity that augments the malignancy of carcinogenic compounds. Most studies are laboratory based, and results in humans are inconclusive, but observational evidence is beginning to prove a link.

There is also evidence suggesting that tea may protect against heart disease, although the link is not yet as strong as that for cancer. It may be that tea polyphenols reduce blood cholesterol and blood pressure and prevent the formation of clots that can lead to heart attack or stroke.

Regular, decaffeinated and iced teas have comparable levels of polyphenols, so pick your favorite brew and enjoy your daily "tea time" for good health.

Sue Gilbert, M.S., nutritionist