What Is Green Tea Extract?
Who doesn’t love a soothing cup of tea? Whenever you’re under the weather, don’t you go for a warm, aromatic cup of tea every time? There are good reasons for tea’s reputation as a health aid. And green tea is among the healthiest teas out there. Green tea extract shows significant promise for potential health benefits as well.
Green tea extract comes from the same tea plant that black tea and oolong tea come from — Camellia sinensis. What makes the teas differ from one another is the methods in which they’re processed.
One of the world’s most popular beverages, second only to water, green tea has been celebrated as a superfood.1
History Of Green Tea Extract
Believe it or not, the first batch of green tea was exported to Japan from India in the middle of the 17th century.
Today, estimates point to approximately 2 ½ million tons of tea leaves being processed annually throughout the world. 500,000 tons of those leaves are produced as green tea each year. The tea is mostly consumed throughout Asia, the United States, parts of North Africa, and throughout Europe.2
The plant from which green tea extract is derived, Camellia sinensis, is an evergreen tree that can grow up to 30 feet in height, though it’s usually trimmed at 5 feet for ease of cultivation. Once cultivated, the leaves become a variety of products, not the least of which is the polyphenol-rich green tea extract.3
Potential Health Benefits Of Green Tea Extract: Polyphenols And Antioxidants†
Green tea extract is special among tea products because it is the only tea that doesn’t rely on the oxidation of the plant’s young leaves. Instead, the leaves are steamed fresh at high temperatures. This process deactivates oxidizing enzymes and leaves the plant’s polyphenol content completely intact.4
The polyphenols in green tea extract are called flavonols and catechins. They make up about 40 percent of the extractable solids in the dried leaves of green tea. The main polyphenols are epicatechin, epigallocatechin, epicatechin-3-gallate, and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG).5
The polyphenols in green tea extract have long demonstrated the many potential health benefits, including helping to support:
- Your body’s defense against free radical damage
- Cell health
- Metabolic health
- Gut health6†
While the antioxidants and polyphenols in green tea extract are notable, green tea extract contains other bioactive compounds and nutrients to help support your overall health. Take a look at the nutritional content of green tea extract listed here.
Nutritional Data
(per 100 grams of green tea)
- Calories 1
- Fat 0 g
- Sugar 0 g
- Magnesium 1 mg
- Potassium 8 mg7
*Note: While the nutritional data above relates to green tea and not green tea extract itself, it is meant to illustrate the source’s nutritional value — green tea.
Which Gundry MD Supplements Include Green Tea Extract?
If you’re wondering where to buy supplements that include green tea extract, you can find Gundry MD Vital Reds on Gundry MD’s site. You can also read Vital Reds reviews and learn more about other ingredients in this cutting-edge formula (like Aronia berries and ginger root).
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Sources
- 1-2 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2855614/
- 3-6 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10956382/
- 7 https://www.nutritionvalue.org/Beverages%2C_regular%2C_brewed%2C_green%2C_tea_nutritional_value.html
