Green Tea Antioxidant

Green tea antioxidant protects the body from free radicals. These are highly reactive molecules that has the ability to damage the body at a cellular level.

These damages include cancer, heart disease, aging, and many other degenerative diseases.

Antioxidants, therefore, are an important line of defense against many diseases.

Green tea antioxidant is abundant. These are vitamin C, E, minerals, and particularly polyphenols which are the powerful antioxidants found in green tea.

Polyphenols are naturally occurring compounds in green tea that accounts for its unique flavor and antioxidant potential.

Its color is due in part to chlorophyll and in part to the polyphenols in green tea.

Once the fresh tea leaves are exposed to oxygen during the enzymatic process, they convert to black tea reducing the polyphenol levels.

This is why black tea has a deeper color than that of green tea and a flavor different from green tea.

Therefore, it was realized that because green tea does not undergo oxidation process, it has much higher levels of unaltered polyphenols than oolong and black tea.

And since polyphenols - a major green tea antioxidant, are the source of tea's health-promoting potential, it is apparent that green tea would have the greatest effect on health. Further research and studies proved that it is true.

Polyphenols, main green tea antioxidant, were found to be two hundred times the antioxidant punch of vitamin E.

Green tea's antioxidant polyphenols have four types. They are epicatechin, epicatechin gallate, epigallocatechin, and epigallocatechin gallate.

These four polyphenols are often called catechins as a group.

Among the polyphenols found in green tea, epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG stands out. According to research, the strong antioxidant property of green tea are mainly due to the higher concentration of EGCG.

EGCG extends it protective action over the fatty acids and lipids in the brain. These fatty acids and lipids, unfortunately, are very susceptible to the effects of free radicals resulting to rapid aging of the brain. By keeping these parts of the brain fresh, EGCG helps to keep us young and alert.