subject: Green Tea And Wu Long Tea: Understanding The Health Advantages [print this page] Most archeological evidence indicates that tea has been consumed for more than 5,000 years. The people of China and India were originally responsible for its cultivation, however now it is popular around the world. Tea is second only to water in its popularity. In the last several years, both Green Tea and Wu Long Tea have received a great deal of attention. Why don't we have a look at some of the advantages of each of these types of tea.
Green Tea originates from unfermented tea leaves. It has the highest concentration of polyphenols of any type of tea. Polyphenols are anti-oxidants which can battle oxidative damage to your cells brought on by free radicals. Free radicals come from the body's regular functions and can also come from the environment. Smoke, smog, harmful toxins in food and radiation are all environmental factors behind free radicals. Free radicals cause cellular damage in the body, which leads to illness and aging. Excessive free radicals have been proved to cause aging, cancer and cardiovascular disease. By consuming food and drink that's rich in anti-oxidants, like green tea, you help the body combat off free radical injury.
Green tea has long been utilized in both Indian and Chinese medicine. Common uses include improving mental functioning, promoting digestive function, controlling the blood glucose levels, as a diuretic and as an astringent. Recently, it has been proven that green tea can help prevent the assimilation of fat and burn calories.
Although green tea appears to be an effective fat burner, it would appear that wu long tea has it edged out in that department. This semi-fermented tea is processed to a level that's in-between that of green and black teas. It has been scientifically found that men and women who drank wu long tea burned two times that calories as those who take green tea. Wu long tea may be especially beneficial for those that have diabetes, thanks to being able to minimize the way that carbohydrates can spike your blood glucose levels. In a study reported in Diabetes Care, it was shown that individuals with type two diabetes were able to reduce their blood glucose levels simply by consuming Wu Long tea.
Like green tea, wu long tea is loaded with free radical fighting anti-oxidants. Some research also showed that your skin can benefit from drinking wu long tea. After just one month of drinking wu long tea, subjects in one study noticed a marked improvement in their overall skin quality.
