How good is green tea for you, really?

[Replicon]

We all know green tea is good for you. It's definitely not bad for you... But I've never seen it quantified. All else being the same, if someone drinks a couple (say 2-3) cups of green tea every day... What will the difference be? Try to be as concrete as possible (e.g. don't say "they lose more weight", but rather "weight loss rate increases by 5-7%" or something measurable).

[Steve]

The difference will be pretense and yellow teeth

[NightHunter]

Chance of cancer goes down markedly. I'm too lazy to look it up. There's other stuff, that's just one I remember right now. Anything that lowers chances of cancer at all is good in my opinion.

Just google, anyone that sells green tea will have info.

[Steve]

MUST BE THE NONI

[Rahf]

Green tea contains alot of anti-oxidants which works against the free radicals that are released in your body. Free radicals are cancerous substances, we all have them and there's not much we can do about stopping the production of them.

[zetafox]

You could TYGUR them...
http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/7015/metoplesspd3.jpg

[Casper]

MUST BE THE NONI

YAY NONI!

[NightHunter]

Green tea contains alot of anti-oxidants which works against the free radicals that are released in your body. Free radicals are cancerous substances, we all have them and there's not much we can do about stopping the production of them.

Well, one way would be to slow down the metabolism significantly, through calorie restriction and lack of exercise....

[Skilzat85X]

Well, one way would be to slow down the metabolism significantly, through calorie restriction and lack of exercise....
Yea forget about cancer, we beat that! No we only have to deal with getting freaking fat or freaking anorexic. Take that, you deadly disease cancer!

[Shikayo]

As well as the free-radicals mentioned by Rahf, anti-oxidants also prevent the oxidation of Low-Density Lippoproteins. Low-Density Lippoproteins (LDLs) are a type of cholesterol, and, as we all know, cholesterol can build up in large quantities in the heart region restricting blood flow (which leads to a whole host of possible diseases that all come under "Cardiovascular Disease").

Basically, oxidised LDLs stimulate macrophages (which are the immune system cells that capture and trap foreign cells and particles in the blood) which accumulate cholesterol, and other stuff. The bad stuff it forms is all toxic to the cells of the arterial walls, and stimulate thrombosis, which can starve heart cells of oxygen, and other supplies supplied by blood, killing them.

To conclude, you don't want oxidised LDLs running around your system, so take anti-oxidants that prevent the unwanted oxidation of LDLs.

[Ashtar]

Whatever advantage it has is overembellished by people selling it or obsessed with feeling superior because they drink it. A lot of things contain antioxidants. Antioxidants aren't some stand-alone thing. There are different kinds, and some are much better at targetting free radicals than others.

Some, if they react with a free-radical, neutralize it by producing an even more reactive and dangerous free radical, which you had better have the appropriate anti-oxidant on hand for or you just fucked shit up. Other antioxidants are half-assed and probably suck at most free radicals.

To me, the main antioxidants you have to trust are ones that are vitamins, ones that the body produces naturally to control reactions and minimize metabolic damage (glutathione for example) and ones common to things that humans have safely eaten without side effect for many centuries (like polyphenols in kinds of fruits/veggies, and maaaaaybe teas, because a lot of teas were the crack-cocaine for monks back then and being a natural herb/substance doesn't mean something is beneficial for the human body - poison mushroom and belladonna being proof)

As for not being bad, a lot of people say it is because of the added fluoride in tea bags. Then you have the caffeine critics. You can't escape that because the decaffeination critics are even worse.

Overall the criticisms aren't very clear-cut though, and the benefits seem to be pretty well supported, sorta, culture and consensus seems to like it okay.

I've a feeling the fat loss thing is embellished a bit, since for all we know it may just affect hunger so that less eating causes the change. I can't remember the studies well enough to show if they displayed any contents directly upped thermogenesis or made energy expenditure less efficient or promoted fatty acid use in the mitochondria to glucose. Any of those would be nice I think, moreso the last since it doesn't involve needlessly wasting energy better suited for thinking or exercise, much like shivering to burn fat is silly.