green tea: the miracle

Recently, I have been drinking green tea as a way to wake me up in the morning and through the day, sometimes in place of water. I have been wondering about the benefits and the Japanese history of green tea.

History Of Green Tea:
In Japan, green tea, Ryokucha, is everywhere, making it commonly known as just "tea". The earliest references of green tea in Japan has been traced back to written text by a Buddhist monk in the 9th century. When Japanese priests and envoys were sent to China to learn about its culture, they brought along tea. Tea became a drink of the religious class.

Modern Green Tea:
"In 1740, Soen Nagatani developed Japanese sencha, which is an unfermented from of green tea. Tea leaves are first steam-pressed, then rolled and dried into loose tea. The dried leaves are brewed with hot water to yield the final drink. Sencha is now one of Japan's mainstay teas." (Wikipedia)

Green Tea For Weight Loss:
In order to loose one pound of fat, a person must maintain a calorie deficit of 3500 below their normal "set point", whichi is the amount of calories consumed in one's daily diet. Japanese researchers suggest that if the average person were to drink five cups of green tea a day, the would burn an extra 70 to 80 calories through an effect called thermogenesis, a process of heat production in organisms. The caffeine derived from green tea is responsible for this thermogenesis effect. Although 70 to 80 calories per day is not sufficient enough for drastic weight loss,it can still be used as an aid to weight loss. Research states that if a person added five cups of green tea to their daily diet, then over a 43 day course, one could expect to lose a pound. Then over a one year period, one could expect to lose eight pounds. Green tea is not only a weight loss aid, but a health benefit as well. Green tea protects against cancer and diseases, promotes healthy skin, prevents wrinkles, fights aging, enhances mental focus, boosts the immune system, promotes oral health and many other benefits like lowering stress.