Due to the popularity of recent findings, green tea has almost become synonymous with weight loss and diet. The addition of green tea diet into diet pills and weight loss supplements is perhaps spurred by reports of harmful side-effects of other drugs like ephedra.

Why Choose the Green Tea Diet?

For four thousand years, green tea has been used all throughout Asia as a beneficial health and medicinal drink. It is different from all other tea diets because its liquid is extracted by steaming the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant as opposed to full oxidation. In this way, the green tea diet manages to preserve a lot more antioxidants and keep them intact for the body to use.

The green tea diet is an excellent source of polycatechin polyphenols, a group of antioxidants that act on free radicals. These free radicals have harmful effects on the body since they are the major causes of diseases and aging. With polycatechin polyphenols, a person has a better chance of avoiding ailments and keeping himself healthy for a much longer period of time.

Another antioxidant in the green tea diet is also being studied as a potential cure for cancer. Epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG found in the diet has been discovered to destroy cancer cells while keeping surrounding healthy cells unharmed.

The EGCG also acts with another compound, caffeine (a small amount of this is found in green tea). The interaction of these two compounds causes the diet to promote thermogenesis in the body.

It has been noted by a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that with the consumption of the green tea diet, the body’s total 24-hour energy expenditure is increased by up to four percent. This is roughly equivalent to losing more than 10 pounds of weight a month.

The diet helps increase the body’s metabolic rates. With its thermogenic properties, it is only natural that it can also promote faster metabolism of fats and sugars. Excess glucose found in the body is turned into fats by the hormone insulin. Because green tea has an inhibiting effect on insulin, it therefore helps keep sugar from being stored as fats and instead, send them directly into the muscles for immediate use.

The Downside

Although the diet has a reputation for boosting health, scientific proofs of its health benefits are still somewhat mixed. However, in an article published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, American researchers collaborated with their Chinese counterparts to discuss the beneficial effects of green tea diet on cholesterol levels.

Using 240 men and women (average age 55) who possess mild to moderately high LDL cholesterol levels, the researchers instructed them to retain their usual low-fat diet, green tea diet intake, and activity levels. After twelve weeks, it was found that those who consumed the green tea diet extract with their regular meals lost more than fifteen percent of their total LDL cholesterol levels.

Although the researchers never explained how the green tea diet may influence cholesterol levels, previous studies have shown that certain compounds play a role in reducing the amount of cholesterol absorbed by the body, increasing amount of cholesterol excreted, and thus keeping cholesterol from being stored in the liver.

Subsequent studies were made to test the findings of the first group of researchers. Their results were contradictory. They found there was no significant effect on the cholesterol profiles of their subjects.

There is no such thing as a miracle diet. The green tea diet like all other diets needs a lot of work and input from those who enroll in it. It requires both discipline and determination for it to make any significant impact on your weight loss goals.

Article Source: http://www.dietarticles.info

Julie Health writes about weight loss with green tea. Feel free to learn more benefits of drinking green tea.

Due to the inactive lifestyle some people live and the unhealthy eating patterns; obesity has become one of the major health issues in our society today.

It is estimated that more that 50% of the American population is overweight or obese. An increasing awareness on the risks of obesity, a lot of people are now aiming to lose weight and live healthy lifestyles. Although it takes having better eating habits and more active lifestyles, being on a diet plan is also a very popular because it helps on the goal to lose weight.

While it is critical to lose weight, people also realize that the diets they join must be risk free and do not have any negative side effects in the short or long term. This is where green tea comes in.

Green tea is a natural ingredient which not only helps with weight loss, but also brings various health benefits for improved body vitality and longevity.

What Is Its Background?

The green tea diet has been extremely appreciated by the Chinese as an herbal and medicinal drink for four thousands of years. It comes from the plant called Carmellia sinensis. The key health benefits of green tea diets are due to the fact that it is steamed during the process of making it, thus preserving the natural antioxidants in its original form. This is very beneficial to one’s health as the body can easily and quickly absorb these antioxidants.

What Are The Health Benefits Of Green Tea Diet?

There are many health benefits associated with the diet.

For one it can help prevent cancer. Some specific substances called epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG in green tea diets help in destroying cancer cells without harming any neighboring tissues.

EGCG is also helpful in boosting the 24-hour energy expenditure of the body. Based on a study on the special diet conducted by American and Swiss scientists at the University of Geneva, it was shown the tea causes an additional increase of 4% in the body’s natural energy expenditure. People who were on a green tea diet were more likely to use up more fats than those not on the diet, thus helping with reducing stored fat.

Green tea diets have also been shown to greatly help in reducing cholesterol levels. Another study was conducted in China using 240 people with high cholesterol levels as subjects. These people were placed on a green tea diet of one capsule (equivalent to seven cups of green tea) every day. After 3 months, those who were on the diet dropped 16% in their cholesterol levels.

In recent studies, it has also been shown that green tea diets can also be a potential cure to obesity. The catechin polyphenols available in the diet can holdup the reaction of gastric and pancreatic lipases in the body. These enzymes are responsible for converting calories in the body into fats. By delaying these enzymes, the diet can therefore stop fat from being stored and prevent obesity in people.

In addition, the special type of diet contains considerable quantity of caffeine which means it mildly suppresses appetite. However, the caffeine is not as high as those found in other caffeine-based beverages, like coffee. These high levels of caffeine are potentially harmful for the body since an excess of it can cause heart palpitations, hypertension, and insomnia. Because green tea contains only very low levels of caffeine, there is no risk of experiencing these negative side-effects.

Green tea can potentially offer several benefits to your diet. It is recommended to include the wonderful drink in your diet. With this weight loss strategy, not only can you drop those pounds, but you can also boost your overall health and vitality.

Article Source: http://www.dietarticles.info

Julie Health writes about the many health benefits of chinese green tea at www.benefitsofgreentea.info. If you’re interested, you can also learn more about a loosing weight by drinking green tea.

Nothing beats a balanced diet and regular exercise as healthy ways to lose weight. But it is quite a tall order for many who are stuck in front of computers all day.

Here is a rundown on extreme weight-loss plan available in most countries today, and the possible risks involved.

1. Hormone Therapy

Quite holistic, this approach basically involves taking an anti-aging medicine. As the body ages, hormone levels go down, the pituitary glands stop producing growth hormones, and one’s metabolism slows, making weight gain very easy and losing weight a challenge.

The goal of this method is to bring the body’s function back to its 20′the age when the body is at its peak. Weight loss is a result of the increases rate of metabolism. Ten to twenty pounds can easily be lost, but then after that it may come back.

The therapy, however, can also replenish growth hormones, firm the muscles, and tighten the skin.

Hormonal therapy is best for people whose hormones are not in tip-top shape but whose will power is. Health experts say that most people who follow this regimen tend to let their appetite go since they now have faster metabolism.

The Risks

Overdose and hyperthyroidism are the main risks. There is also an ongoing controversy about this approach and cancer. If an individual is genetically predisposed to cancer cells, the growth hormones may trigger the sleeping cancer cells to grow.

This theory is not yet medically proven, but requires careful consideration.

2. Liposuction

According to some 2003 statistical reports, liposuction was considered as the well known “cosmetic surgery” method in the United States, with approximately more than 380,000 cases performed.

The need for liposuction is feasible for people who have extreme fat deposits. Some people have certain areas in their body that are predisposed to easy formation of fatty deposits like the abdomen, the hips, and the arms.

Cosmetic surgeons claim that liposuction is essentially a surgical technique that involves a probe being inserted into the patient’s body and liquefying the fat prior to suctioning it out.

The most commonly used method of liposuction is the wet method, which is an outpatient procedure that takes around an hour and a half to perform.

On the other hand, the dry method involves general anesthesia for liposuction on all parts of the body in one session. Tending to be bloody and painful, this approach causes 99% of lipo mortalities.

The Limitations

Liposuction allows the removal of fat deposits from a patient’s body in a single operation by as much as 10 pounds.

Also, keep in mind that liposuction is really not a mere procedure for weight loss. Rather, it is a “cosmetic surgical procedure” designed to contour the body by removing extra fat not even requiring a minor surgery to take away extra skin or to put away huge “permanent scars”.

Liposuction is best for individuals with a healthy mind and body. Patients with healthy skin will find that their skin will respond positively to their new body contours.

The Risks

In some cases of liposuction, the risk of getting an infection is possible, as with any surgery, for that matter. Thus, a prophylactic is administered before the procedure.

Also, pulmonary embolism happens in one in 100,000 patients of liposuction. This happens when an amount of loosened fat travels the body and reaches post-surgery may prevent this.

3. Bariatric Surgery

This is the last resort for those who suffer from what is called morbid obesity, a case of being overweight by 100 pounds or more.

There are two ways to do bariatric surgery:

a. The “Lap Band System”

This type of bariatric surgery works on the principle of stomach stapling, but instead of stapling, a removable band is placed to restrict the stomach.

Placed laparoscopically, the “band” is pretty much like a belt that can be tightened or loosened, only worn inside the body.

The modifiable band is a “silicone elastomer hollow ring” packed with saline and mounted surrounding the higher portion of the stomach creating a fresh miniature “stomach pouch”, with the larger portion of the stomach underneath the band, thereby, reducing the storage space.

b. Gastric Bypass Surgery

Otherwise known as stomach, stapling, gastric bypass surgery involves reducing the size of the stomach so that a patient feels full after only a diminutive quantity of food, from one ounce to three ounces. The result is an immediate decrease in calorie intake and the long-term reducing in weight.

Indeed, there are many kinds of weight loss plans available in the market today. Some may be beneficial for one, but could be harmful to the others.

The key is to find out which weight loss plan will best work for you.

With any extreme weight loss plan you should always weigh the risks compared to the benefits.
Talk it over with your health care practitioner and your family and always wait at least six months before having the surgery. During this six months, eat the most nutritional foods possible, work with your doctor on starting an exercise plan and get your body as healthy as possible. Surgery does take a toll on the body so you need to treat it well before and after.

The six month wait will also give you time to really think it out and decide if you are mentally prepared for an extreme weight loss plan. There is a good chance that after the wait, you may change your mind and go for more subtle ways of weight loss.

Article Source: http://www.dietarticles.info

Patricia has been interested in weight loss & fitness since the early 70′s and knows the difference between hype & fact. For daily Dieting & Fitness Information please visit: www.The-Weightloss-Guide.com/blog

The recent cancer researches have revealed a sensational fact: it is our own system that writes out your destiny as to whether you will develop cancer in your life time and if yes when and how.How is this possible? Let’s put it simply.

Following everyday metabolism, a sea of harmful chemicals is manufactured within our own body. Oxygen radicals, superoxide, free radicals, and electrophiles are a few examples of these toxic substances. These chemicals cause most of the cancers in humans. You will not believe it, but this is the fact: every second of your life, these toxic cancer-causing chemicals are produced within the cells of your body.
The outside pollutants like indirect smoking, pollutions in the work place etc stimulate the production process of these harmful chemicals in the body.

But the silver line in the cloud is that: human beings have their own built-in Cancer Detox mechanism that works every moment to protect the cells from the attack of cancer-causing chemicals. All the cells comprising human body are armed with this Cancer Detox System which is the sum total of enzymes, and other anti cancer nutrients. The body’s Cancer Detox System combines the processes of oxidation, reduction, conjugation, and hydrolysis.

Let us see what are those nutrients that build up the cancer detox mechanism inside our body.
- There are vitamins such as niacin, riboflavin and vitamins A, C, E, that are the part of body’s cancer detox system.
- Among the minerals, selenium, copper, zinc and manganese, are important members of the Cancer Detox mechanism. They act as co-enzyme factors too.
- The elements like carotene, lycopene and tocotrienols along with vitamins A, C, E, support the Cancer Detox System, through their anti-oxidant properties.
- Then there are the extremely helpful enzymes like superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione, epoxide hydrolase, and a few more.

Thus it is the body’s Cancer Detox System, not the immune system that actually fights against cancer-causing chemicals and protects the cells.

The activities of certain nutrients needs special mention. As for example, the enzyme called glutathione has the most versatile function; with the help of a mineral called selenium it can literally detoxify almost all types of toxic chemical. Glutathione keeps on regenerated by the enzymes called NAD and FAD, which contain niacin and riboflavin.

Then, vitamin C acts as the backbone of the detox system and convert the hydroxyl radicals into harmless substances.

The cancer detox diet is based on the principle of supporting the enzymes that are the part of Cancer Detox System and to replenish the vitamins and minerals that are exhausted through the normal functions of the body and through lifestyle abuses.

As such a cancer detox diet for an average weight person comprises of l5 to 25 grams of proteins inclusive of meat, fish, fowl, cheese, egg, milk, beans, nuts, and lentils, 4 to 7 servings of grain products, 3 servings of vegetables, 3 servings of fruits and 3 servings of dairy products. To get more enhanced effect, you can take multivitamin and mineral supplements along with an anti-oxidant booster.

Article Source: http://www.dietarticles.info

Jason Uvios writes about “All You Wanted to Know about Cancer Detox System” to visit :detoxification diets, detox diet plans and natural colon cleanse kits.

For centuries now, the benefits of green tea diets have been the subject of countless writings and scientific investigations.

More than four thousand years ago, green tea diet has become a staple beverage for most Asians because of its countless health and medicinal benefits. It is said that the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung was the first one to have discovered green tea diet. Emperor Shen Nung was reported to have been boiling water when some leaves of a nearby plant fell into his pot. The leaves actually came from Camellia sinensis, the herb from which green tea diet is extracted.

Having a green tea diet is associated with several health benefits. One of the benefits of having a green tea diet is providing a potential cure for cancer. According to some studies, certain substances in green tea diet can destroy cancer cells without harming any neighboring healthy tissues. This substance in green tea diets is called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG).

The results of the study on the cancer benefit of green tea diets were astounding and it led to further more researches that investigate other aspects of green tea diet. In a study conducted by American and Swiss scientists in the University of Geneva, it has been found that the EGCG found in green tea diets can increase the 24-hour energy expenditure of the body. They concluded that this is due to the ability of antioxidants present in green tea diet to stimulate thermogenesis, otherwise known as fat metabolism. According to their findings, people who were on a green tea diet exhibited a significant four percent increase in their normal metabolic rates. This led the scientists to conclude that green tea diet has a major contributing factor in weight loss.

Another study conducted in China was designed to investigate further on green tea diet’s weight loss benefit. They decided that since green tea diet can significantly increase fat metabolism, then green tea diet probably would help lowering down cholesterol levels as well. Their hypothesis was proven when they introduced green tea diet on 240 people with mild to extremely high cholesterol levels. After only twelve weeks, they observed that those on a green tea diet dropped sixteen percent in their cholesterol levels.

Based on the above study, it can also be hypothesized that green tea diet can cure obesity. Green tea diet’s catechin polyphenols can delay the reaction of gastric and pancreatic lipases in the body. These enzymes are the ones responsible for storing calories into fats in the body. By delaying these enzymes, green tea diets can therefore lessen fat concentration and prevent obesity in people.

This being a truly remarkable nutritional supplement, green tea dieting is used to improve the body’s health in many ways. Further studies were made on the benefits of green tea diets. The latest ones were able to prove that green tea diet can effectively protect the skin from damage due to ultraviolet light radiation. Green tea diet is also widely recognized as a substance that can protect against many different cancers such as stomach cancer, ovarian cancer, cancer of the colon, oral cancer, prostate cancer, and breast and cervical cancers.

Article Source: http://www.dietarticles.info

Calvin Johnson brings over 25 years of nutrition, fitness, and healthcare experience into the Health Nut Shop. Powered by Quixtar, quality nutrition is only a click away at www.healthnutshop.com