To back up their claim, they submitted 105 studies, articles and other publications. Nearly a year later the FDA said no, insisting that, "There is no credible evidence to support qualified health claims for green tea or green tea extract and a reduction of a number of risk factors associated with CVD."
Yet over the past 25 years, countless studies showing the positive effects of green tea on several important risk factors for cardiovascular disease have been published in scientific journals. So was the FDA wrong? Or was the green tea claim untrue? The answer is a resounding "neither." The fault lay on both sides. Here's why:
* The petitioner's claim was irresponsible. Ito En Ltd. wanted permission to say that drinking just 5 ounces of green tea daily could reduce several risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Yet most studies have shown that green tea reduces certain CVD risk factors with a daily intake of 4-5 cups, and improves cholesterol at about 10 daily cups. One-half cup (5 ounces) daily? That's a hard case to prove and not even a realistic test.
* The FDA used an antiquated definition of CVD risk factors. The case got even harder to prove when the FDA narrowed the definition of a cardiovascular disease risk factor to high total cholesterol, high LDL cholesterol or high blood pressure. That meant that all studies showing that green tea helps fight oxidized LDL, obesity, stress, low HDL, diabetes or platelet stickiness simply didn't count. Many studies were ignored.
The only studies the FDA deemed worthy of consideration were human studies - all animal and "test tube" studies were ignored. And not all kinds of human studies were included - review studies and meta analyses were considered background information only. The evidence was winnowed down. Because of all of these restrictions, the FDA managed to reduce the 105 submitted studies, articles and papers to a grand total of only 11! And it was on the basis of these 11 studies that the FDA concluded that there was "no credible evidence to support qualified health claims" for green tea and a reduction in CVD risk.
Was the FDA wrong? According to their current standards, no. However, the FDA desperately needs to acknowledge such well-documented and universally accepted CVD risk factors as increased LDL oxidation, excess body weight, low HDL, diabetes and increased platelet "stickiness" - all of which are positively influenced by green tea.
It would also help if future petitioners would consider recommending up to 10 cups of green tea per day (or the equivalent in green tea extract) instead of the ridiculously small amount of 5 ounces. And, last but not least, we need researchers to conduct more human studies on green tea's effects on CVD. Then maybe next time we'll have the ammunition we need to get the FDA's much-wanted stamp of approval.
Green Tea Nutrition Facts
Interested in green tea natural healing? It is hard to know where to go for accurate information. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine is a good unbiased source. I believe that it is important to get your information from unbiased sources. Otherwise, the health claims may be overstated. Here you can learn about the known and possible benefits of drinking the tea or taking the extract, without any of the advertising hype.
It has been used for the prevention and treatment of a variety of cancers, including breast, stomach, prostate and skin cancer. Scientific studies suggest that it may slow the growth of tumors or protect the cells of the body against the DNA damage that results from exposure to free radicals and oxidative stress.
Before a cell becomes a cancer cell, the DNA (the cell's blueprint for reproduction) becomes mutated. This mutation may be caused by exposure to a carcinogen or by free radicals, which naturally occur in the body's cells. They are byproducts of cellular respiration. If things are well balanced, antioxidants will be present to neutralize the free radicals. If not, they can cause the formation of a cancer cell.
So, when it comes to cancer, the green tea natural healing abilities have to do with the antioxidants that the leaves contain. Those antioxidants include catechins and gallic acid. Even the small amount of caffeine that is present may have some beneficial effects. Recent studies indicate that moderate caffeine consumption reduces your risk of heart disease and Alzheimer's.
Traditional healers believed that green tea was good for the heart. Modern researchers have shown that it can lower cholesterol levels. High cholesterol plays a role in the development of heart disease. It also appears to have anti-coagulant activity, which would reduce the risk of the blood clots that cause heart attack and stroke.
Other green tea natural healing benefits include increased fat loss during exercise. One study indicates that drinking five cups per day increases the number of calories burned while at rest. More research needs to be conducted to prove these benefits, but there are dozens of weight loss aids that contain it. There benefit is largely unknown and highly debated.
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has concluded that there is not enough reliable data to suggest its use as a weight loss aid or for lowering cholesterol. They are, however, supporting studies concerning the green tea natural healing benefits for cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
There is no doubt that all of us could benefit from increasing our daily antioxidant intake. The modern diet is high in calories and low in nutritive value. While acute vitamin deficiencies are rare, they seem to be on the rise. Long term nutrient deficits are likely to play a role in many chronic and life threatening diseases.
To increase your antioxidant intake, the simplest solution is a multi-nutritional supplement. The best supplements allow you to take advantage of green tea natural healing to the body's cells. But, they don't stop with a single ingredient. A totally balanced nutritional supplement can do much more for your health than any single extract.
Both Chris Jensen & Valerie Rosenbaum are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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