Green Tea is scientifically shown to increase metabolic rate and fat burning for sustained athletic performance. It contains a number of compounds known as polyphenols, which are powerful antioxidants. The most important of these is epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG. EGCG is believed to be 100 times as effective at soaking up free radicals as vitamin C and 25 times more powerful than vitamin E. It also enhances the actions of vitamin C and E.

Research conducted on green tea and the polyphenolic content of green tea has found that topical, oral or intravenous application produces anticarcinogenic and antimutagenic effects. The main ingredient of green tea extract, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), is known to inhibit the growth of cancerous cells without harming normal cells. EGCG has also been shown to inhibit the mitogenic ability of a wide class of carcinogens.

University of Kansas chemist Lester Mitscher, Ph.D., maintains that, tea is the most powerful anti-oxidant there is. According to studies at Tufts University, one cup of green or black tea has more anti-oxidant power against the most common kind of free radical in the body, the peroxyl radical, than one-half cup of broccoli, carrots, spinach or strawberries. In numerous animal and test-tube studies, compounds in tea called catechins have been effective against a broad spectrum of cancers. EGCG blocks an enzyme that tumors use to grow new capillaries, explains Jerzy Jankun, a tumor biologist at the Medical College of Ohio.

Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and the International Journal of Obesity shows that the EGCG can increase fat breakdown and support weight management in humans. Its’ metabolic effects are proven to be very beneficial to athletes of all levels.

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References

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