Is it possible that one food can single-handedly block the number one and two killers (heart disease and cancer), while defending your skin from sun damage, keeping your brain and body young, reversing osteoporosis, beefing up your immune system, killing bacteria, preventing cavities and even getting rid of halitosis? Is this too good to be true?

Enter green tea, possibly the most powerful and versatile nutritional medicine - or health drink, depending on how you use it - ever to hit the natural health scene.

In green tea, researchers have discovered an astounding array of beneficial health effects:

• decreases the risk of virtually all of the common types of cancer: mouth, stomach, esophagus, pancreas, lung, breast, cervix, prostate, colon, rectum, and bladder
• prevents tumor growth
• reduces the metastatic potential (spread) of cancer cells
• reduces the risk of cancer in smokers and alcohol drinkers
• reduces cancer risk in people exposed to carcinogenic toxins
• reverses papilloma virus cervical infections
• controls the growth of myelogenous leukemia cells
• prevents atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease by lowering total and LDL cholesterol, increasing HDL cholesterol, improving the cholesterol profile, reducing platelet stickiness, lowering blood pressure, preventing ischemic damage
• prevents liver damage from alcohol
• increases bone density, thus reversing osteoporosis
• stimulates and enhances immune system functioning
• protects the brain from lipid peroxidation (i.e., accelerated aging)
• prevents age related cognitive impairment and exerts a neuroprotective effect in certain neurodegenerative illnesses such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson’s, and multiple sclerosis
• slows aging
• reverses insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome
• beneficial in the treatment of diabetes
• aids weight loss
• protects the skin from sun damage
• reverses skin cancer
• protects cells from radiation damage
• prevents cataracts
• reduces arthritic inflammation
• antibacterial
• prevents infection of the stomach with Helicobacter pylori
• reduces dental plaque
• fights cavities
• fights bad breath
• reverses periodontal disease
• acts as one of the most powerful antioxidants and free radical scavengers known to medical science

Drunk by billions as a satisfying beverage and health tonic, green tea has been used medicinally in China for over 47 centuries. Some have claimed that it is second only to water as the most consumed beverage in the world.

Green tea is made from the Camellia sinensis plant, a relative of the well-known flowering camellia. Its leaves contain an array of phytonutrient compounds, the plant-based chemicals that protect our cells, exert beneficial effects on a host of intracellular biochemical processes, and can actually reverse disease. The most widely researched of green tea’s phytonutrients are its green tea polyphenols (GTPs), the most potent of which is epigallocatechin-3-gallate (ECGC).

Let’s take a closer look at some of the scientifically documented benefits of green tea polyphenols:

Anticancer effect - The polyphenols in green tea have been shown to provide potent protection against literally all of the most common cancers, including those of the stomach, esophagus, duodenum, pancreas, breast, cervix, lung, prostate, colon, rectum, and bladder. Numerous studies have shown that green tea polyphenols thwart cancer development by blocking the proliferation and spread of tumor cells, by inhibiting the growth of tumor nurturing blood vessels, and by reducing the metastasis (spread) of cancer cells. Green tea polyphenols can also deactivate enzymes that cancers need for growth. The green tea polyphenol most strongly associated with cancer prevention is epigallocatechin-3-gallate, or EGCG. Even after cancer has been diagnosed, green tea has the potential to halt its progression and even reverse it.

Prevents heart disease and stroke - Several mechanisms are involved here. As a potent antioxidant, green tea protects the inner lining of the coronary arteries from inflammation caused by free radicals. Green tea has also been shown to lower cholesterol, and protect LDL cholesterol from being transformed into the dangerous oxidized form. If that weren’t enough, this miracle nutrient also lowers blood pressure, reduces the platelet stickiness that leads to heart attacks. and prevents ischemic (not enough blood supply) damage in heart attacks.

Prevents cognitive decline - Several research reports have shown that green tea intake blocks age-related cognitive impairment. One such study of 1000 Japanese adults in their 70s, published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (83, 2, 355-61, 2006), showed that the more green tea the subjects consumed, the lower their risk of having cognitive impairment. Drinking more than two cups of green tea a day cut the risk of dementia in half.

Anti-aging effects - Green tea polyphenols are among the most powerful antioxidants. Estimated to be 25-100 times as potent as vitamins C and E, GTPs are extremely effective at blocking the age-accelerating free radicals that can oxidize cell membranes and damage DNA.

Promotes weight loss - Green Tea is a thermogenic agent, also known as a “fat burner.”

Protects skin from sun damage - Studies on human skin have demonstrated that green tea polyphenols (GTP) prevent ultraviolet (UV)-B-induced skin cancer. One recent study documented a truly remarkable effect of green tea: it caused sun-damaged skin cancer cells to self destruct after exposure to sun. Healthy cells were left unchanged.

Beneficial as an antibacterial and anti-cavity effect - Studies have shown that green tea extract inhibits Streptococcus mutans, the bacterium responsible for tooth decay. In one study of 6,014 secondary-school children in England, drinking tea was associated with lower levels of dental cavities. Catechins found in green tea combat oral plaque and bacteria that may lead to gum inflammation and bad odor. Researchers at the University of Illinois in Chicago found that drinking green tea reduced the numbers of oral bacteria that cause bad breath.

Side effects and possible risks - Green tea is extremely safe, and may be consumed in large quantities. Because green tea may contain small amounts of caffeine, the most common side effects are insomnia or nervousness. Those with anxiety disorders or an irregular heartbeat should limit their intake to no more than two cups daily. Pregnant or breast-feeding women should not consume green tea in large amounts.

How consumed - One cup of green tea provides 10-40 mg of polyphenols. Many individuals prefer to take green tea in capsule form. A typical product contains 500 mg. of green tea extract providing 250 mg. of green tea catechols and polyphenols per capsule. For this product the dose would be 2-4 capsules daily.

So, whether you take it as a daily capsule or drink it from a cup, let green tea become the Swiss army knife in your health care tool kit. It has the versatility to protect your good health, prevent disease, and extend your lifespan.