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Green Tea – Long Lasting Aging

25th October, 2010 - Posted by health news - No Comments

The amounts of the theaflavins and catechins that are in any tea sample, (black, green or oolong) will depend on where in the world the leaves grow and of course how they are processed prior to them drying. Factors such as the soil they are grown in should influence the content of polyphenols. Whether the tea is blended, decaffeinated or freeze-dried and the preparation (how much tea is used in each glass or cup, how long it is left to steep, dissolve or brew and at what temperature) all affect the beverage’s phytonutrient content. The process of decaffeination does remove some of the phytonutrients, as well as the caffeine (which is a completely unavoidable consequence of the chemistry of decaffeination).

Hot tea that is brewed contains the largest amount of phytonutrients, Teas that are “instant” have lost approx. 80% of their phytonutrients and “iced” and other ready-to-drink tea products contain even less. If tea is diluted with milk, ice or water reduces the amount of phytonutrients contained in each glass or cup. Recent studies have shown that mixing milk with tea could reduce its ability to enhance the blood circulation and could hinder some of its antioxidant benefits. Plus, it should be noted how important it is to realize that so-called “herbal teas” really are not “teas”. They are boiled decoctions of the herbs used to make them. Plus, they contain no beneficial tea theaflavins or catechins. They do contain beneficial compounds present in the particular herbs.

Please read more info here: Purity Products site.

Tea as a Dietary Supplement

Why is all this important to you? It is important for you to remember that even though drinking tea is an extremely healthy practice, hot or cold teas prepared from either loose dried leaves, powdered leaves or “bags” are less reliable sources of tea phytonutrients than are the standardized powders used in the highest-quality dietary supplements. Standardized extracts control for the level of collective and individual tea polyphenols, and research shows that in order to receive optimal benefits from tea intake, an optimal amount of polyphenols needs to be consumed on a daily basis. This could mean drinking cups and cups of tea per day. In addition, the catechins in high-quality standardized powders are absorbed about twice as readily as they are from teas.

Of course, when it comes to drinking tea, sometimes enough can be enough! And some days you’d just rather drink something else. Not to worry – combining tea (or even replacing tea as a beverage) with a top-of-the-line dietary supplement high in catechin content is the perfect answer. Make sure to look for products that contain the multiple polyphenols present in tea as each polyphenol has unique benefits and together they create synergistic effects.

For more, please go to: Purity Products site.