The best water temperature for green tea is about 71-82 Centigrade (160-180 Fahrenheit). If you don't have a thermometer, simply boil the water then remove it from the heat source and wait for a minute.
Green tea and healthy aging
Green tea and your brain
Cellular aging
Creaking knees?
Skin care
How to make the best cup of green tea
References
Green tea and your brain
Turn on your kettle to lower your risk of dying from a stroke by up to 42%. In a large study of women, those who sipped at least five cups of green tea daily had a 42 percent lower risk of death due to stroke vs. those who drank less than one cup a day. Five cups per day seems a lot, but remember that it is traditionally made very weak.
Another study (5) showed that older people who drank at least 2 cups of antioxidant-rich green tea per day were 50 percent less likely to develop cognitive impairment vs. those who drank 3 or fewer cups per week. Other proven ways to keep your brain sharp include exercising it regularly with puzzles, learning virtually anything, and problem solving.
Cellular aging
In a Chinese study (1) of men who drank green or oolong tea, the cells of the most enthusiastic tea drinkers showed about five fewer years worth of wear and tear compared to the cells of those who drank little tea. Those who benefitted drank three or more cups of green or oolong tea each day. Those who did not benefit drank less than one cup.
This study examined the participants' telomeres to see how their cells had aged. Telomeres are the protective caps on the end of your DNA strands. Each time your cells divide the telomeres shorten a little, and eventually old cells are not able to replicate properly. The study showed that the most devoted tea drinkers had significantly longer telomeres than those who drank less than a cup a day.
The researchers think it's the antioxidants in the tea that help maintain your telomeres. Interestingly, it was only men who benefited from this effect - not women. This may be because some of the feminine hormones already provide the same protection. But there are plenty of other reasons for women to drink green and oolong tea!
Creaking knees?
Potent compounds in green tea - EGCG and ECG - can help you avoid knee pain and keep your joints healthy (2). A green-tea devotee is more likely to have youthful knees from the powerful flavonoids being sipped. The catechins EGCG and ECG found in green tea help reduce inflammation, and also cartilage and collagen destruction in arthritic joints, preventing both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Other research (4) shows that just two cups per day dramatically reduces the risk of dying from heart disease. The reason is not entirely clear, but it is probably because of the artery-friendly polyphenols in green tea.
A meta-study (6) showed a slight decrease in lung cancer risk for green tea drinkers.
Skin care
Use the remaining tea in your pot or cup on your skin. Dab it on with a swab or cloth. Green tea is a fantastic antioxidant moisturiser, and costs almost nothing compared to others in the shops.
How to make the best cup of green tea
Most herbal teas and common black tea should be prepared with boiling water, but with green tea it is important not to scald the delicate phytonutrients. The best water temperature for green tea is about 71-82 degrees Centigrade (160-180 Fahrenheit). If you don't have a thermometer, simply boil the water then remove it from the heat source and wait for a minute. The steeping time is also important for the most flavorful and beneficial cup. Herbal teas need steeping for 5 to 20 minutes depending on the herb, and black teas for 2 to 6 minutes according to taste. However this is too long for delicate green tea and may affect its flavour and potency. Green tea should be steeped for only 2 to 3 minutes. Traditionally, green tea is made very weak - just a pinch in a whole pot of tea.
References
1. Chan R, Woo J, Suen E, Leung J, Tang N.
Chinese tea consumption is associated with longer telomere length in elderly Chinese men.
Journal of Nutrition, May 2001. 131(5):1449-1451.Br J Nutr. 2010 Jan;103(1):107-13. Epub 2009 Aug 12.
Article
2. Adcocks, C., Collin, P., Buttle, D. J.
Catechins from green tea (Camellia sinensis) inhibit bovine and human cartilage proteoglycan and type II
collagen degradation in vitro.
Journal of Nutrition 2002 Mar;132(3):341-346.
3. Ahmed, S., Wang, N., Lalonde, M., Goldberg, V. M., Haqqi, T. M.
Green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) differentially inhibits interleukin-1 beta-induced expression of matrix
metalloproteinase-1 and -13 in human chondrocytes.
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 2004 Feb;308(2):767-773.
4. Kuriyama, S. et al.
Green tea consumption and mortality due to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all causes in Japan: the Ohsaki study.
Journal of the American Medical Association 2006 Sep 13;296(10):1255-1265.
5. Kuriyama, S., Hozawa, A., Ohmori, K., Shimazu, T., Matsui, T., Ebihara, S., Awata, S., Nagatomi, R., Arai, H., Tsuji, I.
Green tea consumption and cognitive function: a cross-sectional study from the Tsurugaya Project.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2006 Feb;83(2):355-361.
6. Tang N., Wu Y., Zhou B., Wang B., Yu R.
Green tea, black tea consumption and risk of lung cancer: a meta-analysis.
Lung Cancer. 2009 Sep;65(3):274-83.
Article