Green Tea for Health: Are You Really Getting the Benefits?

Of course you enjoy sipping that warm, fragrant cup of green tea in the morning, but you also appreciate the health benefits. Although some people choose green tea for the taste, others make the switch for health reasons. Preliminary studies suggest that green tea can have a variety of benefits ranging from promoting heart health to the prevention of certain types of cancer. If youre drinking green tea for health, a new study suggests that you may want to consider how youre storing it.

What makes green tea so special? The component of green tea that seems to be responsible for many of the health benefits are antioxidant compounds known as catechins. Catechins have been found to have a variety of beneficial health properties and are believed to be the key reason why green tea is healthier than black tea which has fewer catechins due to its additional processing. Researchers have recently discovered that the catechins found in green tea may break down over time resulting in a compound thats much less beneficial from a health standpoint. The results of this discovery are published in the most recent issue of the Journal of Food Science. If youre using green tea for health, this research could have a significant impact on the way you buy and store your tea.

The researchers suggest that storage times as short as six months may reduce the levels of catechins in green tea resulting in a product that has fewer health benefits. Even if you store your green tea for less than six months, the tea leaves may have been stored in a warehouse for a long period of time before it reaches the store to be sold. You would have to factor in the time the tea sits on store shelves. Unfortunately, if youre drinking green tea for health, theres no way to really know if you have a fresh, healthy product. Tea is likely to be stored for long periods of time before reaching you since its not perishable, although the taste quality can decline over time.

Most experts recommend that green tea be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place .It isnt clear whether this type of storage helps to prevent the breakdown of catechins, although it may help preserve the quality of the tea. If youre drinking green tea for health, buy the freshest leaves possible and purchase in small quantities so you dont have tea leaves in storage for long periods of time. Whatever you do, keep drinking green tea for health as well as for its delicious taste.