Antioxidants play a powerful role in our wellness, in part because they help to neutralize the free radicals associated with aging and cancer. The polyphenols in green and black tea have been studied extensively as potential chemopreventive (anti-cancer) agents, with promising results. Does this mean we should all be sipping green or black tea all day long? Or are green tea extracts supplements more effective at delivering these naturally occurring compounds? UCLA researchers decided to take a closer look.
In their 2004 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the researchers focused on how well our bodies can absorb flavanols (polyphenols), the antioxidants found abundantly in tea. Thirty healthy people were randomly assigned to one of three groups: green tea, black tea or green tea extract supplement capsules. Then the researchers tested the antioxidant capacity in their blood plasma eight hours later. A week later, the study participants were switched to another group. The process was repeated a third time, so that all participants had been in the green tea, black tea and green tea extract supplement groups.
The researchers reported that, “Green tea supplement in capsule form led to a small but significant increase in plasma antioxidant activity compared with when tea polyphenols were consumed as black tea or green tea.”
They concluded that green tea extract supplements retain the beneficial effects of green and black tea. They also indicated that the supplements may be used in future chemoprevention studies to provide a large dose of polyphenols without the side effects of caffeine associated with green and black tea beverages.
If concern about pesticides and chemical extraction methods still has you on the fence about adding a green tea extract supplement to your wellness regimen, be assured that Sunphenon is produced from pesticide-controlled green tea leaf, extracted via a water infusion process and decaffeinated using only approved food grade solvents to assure compliance with stringent U.S. FDA residual pesticide regulations for tea as outlined in 40CFR180. No chloroform or other illegal solvents are used in the processing of any Sunphenon extracts. Click here to find out which products contain Sunphenon.