GREEN TEA-- AN IMPRESSIVE ARRAY OF BENEFITS

Consumption of green tea has been documented since 2700 BC, and many epidemiolog-ical and interventional studies have shown either a strong correlation or a cause-effect relationship with many beneficial health effects of drinking 3-10 cups of tea per day. In addition, many intervention studies have been performed on various extracts of green tea in an attempt to identify the mechanism of action of the individual components, especially the polyphenols. EGCg (EpiGallo-Catechin-3-Gallate) is one of the more extensively studied green tea polyphenols, as it was believed and proven to account for many of the benefits observed from dry green tea or green tea extract consumption. An average cup of green tea is typically made from 5 g dry green tea leaves which provide about 240-320 mg polyphenols19, and among these, EGCg constitutes about 200 mg.12 It peaks in the plasma 2 hours after consumption and levels return to baseline after 24 hrs. By isolating a single compound for interventions, studies have been able to elucidate the mechanisms of action behind specific phys-iological effects, although for supplementation/consumption purposes, it is still advisable to consume the tea or tea extracts that con-tain a wide array of naturally occurring substances