I just saw that this thread was bumped.
I’ve replaced the morning cup of coffee with a small pot of green tea. I continue to have coffee later in the day at work, but my average consumption is slightly lower, on a daily basis, than it used to be. I can summarize my results as follows:
Weight. About the same. I’m in pretty good shape anyway, but I doubt if I’ll ever see my bottom pair of abs again. I do have a little more definition in my mid and upper abs. but that could be a result of new excercises with the stability ball.
Strength. I might be improving here, but it’s hard to tell. I’ve added weight to some of my routines, but it might just be a question of pushing myself harder.
Cholesterol and related issues. No data, since I haven’t had it tested since I started taking green tea.
All in all, I think I might not be taking enough green tea to get the benefit.
Well said. And if I had any smarts, I’d leave it at that…
What makes me skeptical about some of the claims of health benefits from green tea is that I don’t see a whole lot of information about the exact types of tea used in the studies. If you compare blended green tea from China versus a Sri Lankan blended black, you’re not just comparing the processing methods. Tea can vary an awful lot. I drink single-estate Darjeelings. Tea from two different plantations, picked during the same season in the same year and processed in generally the same way can taste remarkably different. If the taste can be that different, I wonder if the level of compounds in the tea that are supposedly good for me can vary widely as well.
Personally, I’d like to see a study done of black vs. green tea in which all the tea leaves used are picked from a single estate during a single season. Give half the leaves the full black-tea fermentation and let the other half be used to make green. Lets find out if it’s really the processing that makes green tea healthy or if it has more to do with the underlying source of the tea.
For what it’s worth, I have Gout (a relative of Arthritis) and I have noticed a correlation between joint pain and the consumption of apartame (hold it there, this ain’t no hijack), and the reduction of said pain with the consumption of green tea.
I’m not aware of any other health benefits. I’ve been on a diet and am not sure if the tea is helping.
Again, for what it’s worth.
Anybody tried yerba mate? Any opinions on its health benefits?
Ho ho ho, I loves me some maté. I can’t drink it straight anymore, though—it makes me too hyper. I usually mix it in equal parts with a strong black tea, like a Yunnan. Or (looks around the thread guiltily, before admitting to drinking tea in bags) I brew some Celestial Seasonings Morning Thunder.
Again, health benefits, shmealth benefits. That stuff is real a kick in the pants.