Colette Bouchez
 |
| Green Tea leaves |
If you’ve been pushing aside that healthy cup of green tea in favour of a handful of green tea supplements, you might not be getting the health benefits you think. In a new analysis released today by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the chemical composition of some supplements does not offer the same benefits as drinking green tea . Morever some contained signficant levels of other other ingredients not listed on the product label.
Publishing their findings today in the Journal of AOAC International, the American scientists say that many of the green tea supplements they analyzed contained high levels of compounds that cause a breakdown of the the most important health factors found in green tea leaves – including the natural compounds catechins and flavonol gylcosides.
Making those tea-stained waters a bit murkier: The scientists report that in addition to the compounds which reduce the health effects of the green tea, testing also revealed that some supplements contained ingredients which weren’t on the label - such as the herb fenugreek, or sucrose. Moreover, the quality of the ingredients varied greatly among supplements, with one green tea supplement actually containing no green tea at all!
When it came to choosing the best of the worst, the researchers found that green tea supplements in sold form appeared to come closer to the effects of real green tea, then the liquid green tea supplements.
But either way, the researchers suggest that some green tea supplement makers who are riding on the coattails of health claims attributed to natural green tea may be misleading consumers. .
““The claim that a green tea dietary supplement is a good alternative for tea leaves is questionable from a chemical composition point of view,” reports Pei Chen, PhD the USDA lead author on the study.
How The Study Was Done
To test the efficacy of the green tea supplements, researchers looked at 20 commercially available green tea dietary supplement products (12 tablets or capsules and 8 liquids) from what they called “ most of the big dietary supplement manufacturers”. Using various analytical techniques they identified the chemical constituents of each product, as well as pinpointing the ingredients - and then compared what they found to an analysis conducted on 8 different samples of natural green tea.
The result: There were significant variations between the level and concentration of compounds found in the supplements, when compared to the natural tea, with the greatest discrepancies found in the liquid supplements. Many of the compounds found in the supplements were also responsible for degrading and devaluing the impact of the health factors attributed to green tea.
In addition to discrepancies in active compounds, the researchers also found at least some of the products contained other ingredients not listed on the label, including sugars and other herbs. One green tea supplement actually contained no green tea at all!
The bottom line: Problems in manufacturing and storage of the supplements, along with poor quality control make green tea supplements a dicey choice if you’re trying to improve your health.
How green tea improves your health
Green tea – in its natural tea form – has been shown in studies to have many positive health effects, including reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Its also been credited with helping reduce the risk of certain cancers, and improving cardiovascular health, as well as helping with weight control.
But perhaps one of it’s most astounding effects have been seen on fertility. Indeed, in one now-classic study conducted at Kaiser-Permanente Health System researchers found that women who drank as little as one-half cup of green tea daily were able to double their chances of getting pregnant.
Moreover, a second compound known as hypoxithine, also found in green tea, is the same chemical found naturally in the follicular fluid that surrounds a woman’s eggs. This finding gave rise to the idea that green tea may help infertile women produce better and stronger eggs for a quicker and easier pregnancy.
But, will green tea supplements have the same effect? Researchers say clearly that depends on the supplement.
“Although there are some good green tea dietary supplement products, there is no way for the consumer to know the qualities of the green tea dietary supplement products from reading the labels,” reports Chen.
The bottom line: When it comes to the health benefits of green tea, brewing a relaxing cup of the real stuff may be the way to go!
Colette Bouchez is medical researcher and woman's wellness expert and the author of ten books on women's health including her latest "Green Fertility: Nature's Secrets for Making Babies."
No comments:
Post a Comment