Green Tea; The Super Plant 

College of DuPage Nursing Student Daszawn Burgess wrote for Healthy Lombard that Green tea has been a viable herb for many years. In fact, green tea has been consumed by many cultures since 2737 BC. Green tea was first adopted by Chinese Emperors, used not only for its unique taste, but was thought to be a medical plant of the gods. With that being said, green tea has many health benefits; anti-inflammatory properties, aids in weight loss, and prevention of cardiovascular disease.

According to Pahwa et al. (2021), over 60 million people are affected by inflammation due to biological, chemical, and physical factors that are affiliated with various forms of cancer, whereas anti-inflammatory therapies aid in the prevention and treatment of cancer. According to the finding of Rueter et al. (2019), green tea may help to prevent breast cancer; one of the most common cancers in women.  Rueter et al. (2019) found women who drank the greenest tea experienced a 20–30% decreased risk of breast cancer. Green tea is thought to be one of the main chemicals in helping to prevent inflammation by preventing its progression throughout the body.

Green tea is also beneficial in maintaining weight and reducing body fat in individuals of all ages. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2021), more than 650 million people in the United States are currently considered obese. In a 12-week randomized controlled study of 240 people with obesity, however, green tea extract was found to reduce body fat and prevent cardiovascular risk by boosting metabolic rate in the short term, thereby reducing body fat, especially abdominal fat (Nagao et al., 2021). The study findings also demonstrated in those who consumed green tea that a significant decrease occurred in overall weight, body fat, and waist circumference, compared to controls.

Although green tea has existed for generations, the benefits are becoming increasingly known and involved tapping into the body’s existing chemistry to fight inflammation and control weight. Green tea has demonstrated its stamp on earth and will continue to have its title as a super plant.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Centers for Disease control and Prevention.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved September 22, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/.

Nagao, T., Hase, T., & Tokimitsu, I. (2012, September 6). A green tea extract high in catechins reduces   body fat and cardiovascular risks in humans. Wiley Online Library. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1038/oby.2007.176.

Pahwa R, Goyal A, Bansal P, et al. Chronic Inflammation. [Updated 2021 Aug 11]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jan-

Reuter, S., Gupta, S. C., Chaturvedi, M. M., & Aggarwal, B. B. (2010). Oxidative stress, inflammation,    and cancer: how are they linked?. Free radical biology & medicine, 49(11), 1603–1616. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2010.09.006