Thinking about buying green tea tablets? There are better things to spend your money on. Supplementing your nutritional intake is definitely a wise choice and multi-nutritional supplements are an excellent investment, but the value of single-ingredient supplements is questionable at best.
There are at least 70 different ingredients that are invaluable when it comes to preventing chronic and life-threatening illnesses. It would be impossible for me to choose a single one. If I could only take one supplement every day, it would probably be omega-3 fish oils, because I don’t care for fish and I have seen in my own life the value of supplementation. But, luckily, I don’t have to choose just one.
If the studies are correct, green tea tablets (due to the catechins and gallic acid it contains) may reduce your risk of heart disease, arthritis, type II diabetes and cancer. It may help prevent obesity and balance cholesterol levels. For all of these, there are many other beneficial nutrients, including fish oil. Let’s look at turmeric for example.
The active compound in turmeric is called curcumin Green curmin. Research indicates that it helps prevent heart failure, too, but it can also repair damage that has already been done. It can “turn off” bio-chemicals that cause the heart to become scarred and enlarged.
Curcumin has anti-inflammatory activity similar to that of green tea tablets. So, it is beneficial for preventing and relieving arthritis. Research indicates that curcumin pay prevent type II diabetes, by protecting pancreatic cells from bio-chemicals that would destroy their function. It has also been shown to prevent abnormalities in the kidneys that are associated with diabetes.
Nearly 1000 studies have been published concerning the value of curcumin and piperine (a compound found in black pepper) for preventing and treating cancer. It has been shown to prevent obesity in mice. It has been shown to lower cholesterol levels in human beings.
So, all of the benefits of green tea tablets are also provided by curcumin. But, curcumin does two things that catechins and gallic acid cannot do.
There are many serious diseases in the world that defy treatment. One of the saddest and most life-threatening is Alzheimer’s. Today, the average patient lives only ten years after diagnosis. It is a degenerative brain disease. The cells of the brain are killed by amyloid-beta plaques. Curcumin has been shown in laboratory and animal studies to inhibit amyloid-beta production. It is currently being studies as a treatment for Alzheimer’s. There is limited evidence that green tea tablets may be beneficial in Alzheimer’s, but they are not anti-amyloids.
The other beneficial role played by turmeric has to do with heavy metal accumulation. Throughout our lives, we are exposed to tiny amounts of heavy metals. They build up in the liver, brain and other bodily organs causing chronic health problems, such as high blood pressure and liver failure. The most common of the heavy metals are lead and mercury. Lead is present in soil, water and air. Mercury is present in most of the fish that we eat.
The compounds found in turmeric have chelating activity. They break down heavy metals, which are then removed from the body, without having any further effect on it.
I believe that choosing to take an excellent multi-nutritional supplement was the best choice I ever made. I feel better and look younger, too. Why waste your money on green tea tablets, when you could do so much more?