green-tea

January 9, 2004 by Linda Lazarides
Filed under Superfoods

Green tea

When black tea is produced, the oxidation of its polyphenols (antioxidant flavonoids) is promoted. Green tea is prepared with a process that prevents this oxidation. It is consumed primarily in China, Japan and a few countries in North Africa and the Middle East.

Fresh green leaf tea is particuarly rich in polyphenols, one type of which – catechins – may constitute up to 30 per cent of the dry leaf weight. Small amounts of the methylxanthines caffeine, theobromine and theophylline are also present. Polyphenols are also found in red wine and it is thought that they account for the apparent ability of red wine to protect against heart disease. Green tea has been found to have considerable anti-carcinogenic action in a wide range of research studies.