Dr. Mercola December 04 2007 30,550 views
Those who take lemon juice in their tea may be getting far more of the health benefits, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Catechins are naturally occurring antioxidants found in tea; complementing green tea with either citrus juices or vitamin C increases the amount of catechins available for the body to absorb.
Catechins may be responsible for some of green tea‘s reported health benefits, such as a reduced risk of cancer, heart attack and stroke. But catechins are relatively unstable in the intestines meaning that less than 20 percent of the total generally remains after digestion.
Citrus juice increased available catechin levels by more than five times, and vitamin C increased recovered levels of the two most abundant catechins by six-fold and thirteen-fold.
Lemon juice caused 80 percent of tea‘s catechins to remain available.
Mario Ferruzi, the study’s lead author, is currently conducting an in vivo study (study on a live organism) to find out if increased levels of intestinal catechins will actually translate to higher levels of absorbed catechins in your body.
Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is the most powerful catechin found in green tea, and catechins, in turn, belong to the polyphenol family, which are widely acclaimed for disease prevention and anti-aging purposes.
For centuries, catechins have been known to:
The catechin in green tea has even been shown to treat diabetes with the same level of effectiveness as the disastrous drug Avandia, so drinking green tea is certainly one of your healthier beverage options, after pure water.
The green tea catechin EGCG in particular is a very noteworthy antioxidant; it’s estimated to be 25-100 times more potent than vitamins C and E, and can fight a host of illnesses, including:
One study even found that EGCG might help to neutralize some of the toxins formed by high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), and help to reduce the association between high-fructose corn syrup and diabetes.
Being able to increase the absorption of this beneficial antioxidant by simply adding some lemon juice is certainly an easy and healthy alternative to taking antioxidant supplements.
What You Need to Know About Green Tea and CitrusWhen choosing a green tea, be aware that previous research has found high levels of fluoride present in some teas. Fluoride is a toxic substance that can have profoundly negative effects on your body. So if you consume large amounts of green tea for health benefits, you might want to invest some time in researching a brand that is low in fluoride.
Also, keep in mind that citrus (which is actually a highly alkalizing food) is also one of the more allergenic foods. Protein types will also usually not do well with citrus, so start with just a few drops to make sure you do not experience any problematic symptoms, such as itching, or gastrointestinal problems.
A Word of Caution Against Vitamin C Supplements
Every nutrient you ingest raises or lowers up to nine other nutrients in your body. For example, taking large doses of vitamin C lowers your level of copper, so if you are already deficient in copper and take high doses of vitamin C, you can compromise your immune system.
Every nutrient needs certain synergistic nutrients, and if you are already low in those synergistic nutrients, taking more of one thing will only further deplete the existing deficient levels, worsening any problems relating to that nutrient’s metabolism.
How To Live Longer and Feel Better.
By Linus Pauling
To really understand Vitamin C you need to read Pauling's book.
Believe me Vit. C supplementation has to do with evolution
and not restricting your diet to compensate for poor digestion.
My dad is 71 years old, and has taken 10 grams of vitamin C every day for the past 20 years. He is a firm believer in Linus Pauling. He is never sick, takes no prescription medication, has normal blood pressure, cholesterol levels, etc. He exercises somewhat (rides his bike now and then, goes bowling once a week, some gardening) and eats a reasonably healthy diet (loves those Honey Nut Cheerios, though, ugh). He is in excellent health. He nags me about not taking enough vitamin C (I only take about a gram a day). I have a hard time believing that taking vitamin C is somehow damaging, looking at my dad's health.