Japanese Green Tea and its Health Benefits

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Let's start with a massive study of 313,381 persons conducted in Japan, which highlights the powerful overall health impact Japanese Green tea may possess.

In this study, men who drank five or more cups of green tea daily had a 10% less "all-cause" mortality rate, while women had an 18% less "all-cause" mortality rate. [1]

This overall statistic includes reduced heart disease mortality, cerebrovascular disease mortality, cancer mortality, and respiratory disease mortality.

You can see that Japanese Green Tea helps decrease disease mortality by improving health in several ways.

While these results are powerful, the topic is quite complex.

The health benefit may depend on the type of Japanese tea, the tea plant's cultivar, or even how you prepare the tea!

This complexity is because tea possesses several powerful nutrients. There are several active nutrients within the plant, each having different conditions to maximize their effectiveness.

In this section, we'll dive into the different health benefits of Japanese tea. We'll learn the science by pulling out reliable sources and running through them in easy English.

Are the health benefits a myth? Does it have a tangible-enough health impact worth incorporating into your daily life?
And if so, what's the best way to implement it into your everyday routine?

These will be some of the questions we'll be answering.

The study of tea and health is an ancient relationship that started several centuries ago. However, its science is still evolving.

We'll be jumping into the health benefits of Japanese tea based on human-based research as much as possible. Human-based research results are the best way to weigh the impact and effectiveness of this magical drink's health benefits.

If human-based research is unavailable, I will be citing non-human-based research.

• • Japanese Green Tea and Preventing Diabetes
  • Japanese Green Tea and Fighting Cancer
  • Japanese Green Tea and Weight Loss
  • Japanese Green Tea and Fighting Arteriosclerosis
  • Japanese Green Tea and Fighting Hypertension
  • Japanese Green Tea and Preventing Influenza
  • Japanese Green Tea and Allergy Relief
  • Japanese Green Tea and Boosting Immunity
  • Japanese Green Tea and Fighting Liver Diseases
  • Japanese Green Tea and preventing Dementia
  • Japanese Green Tea and Fighting Oral Diseases
  • Japanese Green Tea and Reducing Stress

• EGCG (Epigallocatechin Gallate)
  Perhaps the most potent nutrient in Japanese tea, providing numerous health benefits.
• O-Methylated EGCG
  An altered form of EGCG. More effective for some diseases compared to EGCG.

Although all tea stems from the same tea plant, the Camellia sinensis, variations of the cultivars mean it possesses different nutrients in different volumes. That's why the health benefits will vary too.

For example, the Benifuki cultivar possesses a high volume of O-methylated EGCG. This substance is effective in reducing hay fever symptoms, as well as reducing high blood pressure.

On the other hand, the most common Japanese tea cultivar, "Yabukita," does not contain as much O-methylated EGCG. Hence, it does not reap this nutrient's health benefits compared to the Benifuki cultivar.

The cultivation and manufacturing processes determine the type of Japanese tea produced. These factors also alter the nutritional makeup of the tea.

For example, teas such as Matcha and Gyokuro are shaded from the sun during cultivation. This process enhances the Umami taste while reducing the tea's astringency.

The enhanced Umami is due to the increase in the substance called Theanine. Theanine is a powerful nutrient for relaxation and its anti-stress properties. It's great to take Theanine if you're feeling stressed.

However, this also reduces the various types of tea catechin. Tea catechins are one of the most potent nutrients in the tea leaf and can help improve or prevent other diseases such as Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Cancer, and others.

There is no perfect tea type. If you're drinking Japanese green tea for its health benefits, choosing the right one based on your objective is essential.

When it comes to health benefits, the tea preparation method is an essential factor too.

For example, one of the vital nutrients of Japanese green tea that shows strong immunity effects is EGC. EGC is one of the tea catechins found in tea leaves and extracts well, even when the tea is infused in cold temperatures.

However, when you infuse tea in boiling water, EGCG, another type of tea catechin, will also be extracted. While EGCG is also an excellent health compound in its own right, it somewhat cancels the immunity-boosting effect of EGC.

Therefore to strengthen your immune system, cold brewing Japanese green tea shows higher effectiveness.