For several years now, we’ve been hearing about how green tea can prevent many serious diseases, including cancer. As the evidence mounts, it can be hard to ignore the fact that green tea is a powerful way to protect your health.

So, what is it about green tea that is creating so much attention? Well, it appears that the anti-oxidants in green tea are just as powerful as those in fruits and vegetables? possibly even more so. And, anti-oxidants are critical to preserving health and preventing disease.

As we convert the foods we eat into energy, we create free radicals in our body that can damage our cells and our DNA if left unchecked. It is believed that unchecked free radicals contribute to the development of many diseases, including cancer.

Anti-oxidants combat these free radicals so that they are not able to wreak such havoc on our bodies. Therefore, a diet rich in anti-oxidants is a great way to protect your health. Your best sources of anti-oxidants are fresh fruits, vegetables, and yes, green tea.

The research abounds to support the fact that green tea is healthy. Here are some examples.

Take a look in the March, 2004 issue of New Scientist Magazine. You’ll find numerous studies mentioned that suggest that green tea protects against many types of cancers, including lung, prostate and breast cancer. A study at Kyushu University in Japan showed that green tea slowed the growth of a certain type of human lung cancer cells.

Next, visit the US National Cancer Institute’s website and review their studies. You’ll find evidence that the anti-oxidants in green tea inhibited the growth of cancer cells and reduced the number and size of tumors in animals. You can view the press release on this study here: http://www.cancer.gov/newscenter/pressreleases/tea

Check out the May 2002 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. This magazine describes a Chinese study that showed that men and women who have been lifelong tea drinkers have higher bone mineral density than those who are not tea drinkers. The study involved 497 Chinese men and 540 Chinese women over the age of 30 who were asked about how much tea they drink as well as about lifestyle factors. Of the 1,037 study participants, 48.4 percent were habitual, long-term tea drinkers. The researchers found that those who had been drinking tea habitually for six to 10 years had higher bone mineral density in the lumbar spine, and those who had been drinking tea regularly for more than 10 years had higher bone mineral density in all body sites measured than study participants who didn?t drink tea regularly.

This same magazine reported on another study in December of 2005 that suggested drinking just one cup a day of green or black tea may lower the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer in women by 24 percent. By drinking two or more cups each day, you can cut the risk by up to 48 percent. This study was conducted over a 15 year period by researchers at the Swedish Mammography Cohort.

It’s important to report that there appears to be virtually no evidence that suggests that anything about green tea is unhealthy. Even studies which can’t necessarily support green tea health claims show that green tea has no negative effects.

For example, a study conducted by Yoshitaka Tsubono, M.D., Yoshikazu Nishino, M.D., Shoko Komatsu, M.D., Chung-Cheng Hsieh, Sc.D., Seiki Kanemura, M.D., Ichiro Tsuji, M.D., Haruo Nakatsuka, Ph.D., Akira Fukao, M.D., Hiroshi Satoh, M.D., and Shigeru Hisamichi, M.D. could find no link between consumption of green tea and gastric cancer. The study did not find any increased protection among those who consistently drink green tea, but it also did not find any health risks associated with large green tea consumption.

So, in light of all the evidence, it seems that adding green tea to your diet is a wise choice. While we still need to do more research on the subject, there certainly is reason to believe that green tea is a powerful tool for protecting your health. In addition, there?s reason to believe that green tea’s effects may be more prevalent on certain types of cancers, and less prevalent on others.

And, even if it turns out that green tea doesn’t prevent serious diseases? there is compelling evidence that green tea is healthy. Green tea can support healthy teeth, and slows down the aging process, just as any other food rich in anti-oxidants. Plus, there is also research that suggests that green tea may speed up metabolism and help you maintain a healthy weight.

As you can see? you have nothing to lose. Even if green tea doesn’t make you live to an old age with no serious illnesses, it won’t hurt you. So, go make a cup of green tea. There’s little doubt that it will do something good for your body.

Marcus Stout is President of the Golden Moon Tea Company. For more information about tea, http://www.goldenmoontea.com/greentea

If you’ve started to become a green tea enthusiast, no doubt you’ve realized that there are an overwhelming number of green teas from which to choose. Just the number of green teas varieties in China are too many to list. You may have an interest in trying them all? but that will take you quite a while!

Most green tea is grown in China and Japan, but there are other countries that grow delicious green tea, as well. Sri Lanka produces a Ceylon green tea that has a full body and is somewhat pungent with a nutty or malty flavor.

India produces Darjeeling green tea that combines the bright and grassy flavor of other green teas with the muscatel flavor that gives black Darjeeling teas their distinct flavor. India also produces Assam green teas, which are medium bodied with a bit of a honey flavor.

Excellent green tea is also produced in Vietnam, though few Americans are aware of it. Green tea from Vietnam is decidedly different from green tea from other Asian countries, as it is quite a bit stronger. Vietnamese green tea will taste strong to the point of bitterness at first. However, if you hold Vietnamese green tea in your mouth, the flavor will mellow considerably.

Korea also produces an excellent green tea. Korean green tea from the first pluckings can be some of the most delicate and light of any green tea in the world.

In recent years, even Australia has begun producing green tea. Though little of it is exported outside of Australia, the country is said to be making strides in their tea production and quality. They produce some familiar varieties of green tea like Jasmine flavored green tea.

Kenya produces green tea too, and theirs is said to be fruitier and more floral than many other green teas. Green tea from Kenya is new to the American market, but can be found from a few tea companies. The best Korean green teas are grown in Hadong, where all of the tea is produced entirely by hand.

If you’d like to try a wide variety of green teas from many different countries, you’ll likely need to find one or more online tea stores to do business with. By ordering tea online, you have the whole world of tea at your fingertips without ever leaving your own home.

Even with online ordering, you may have some difficulty locating some of the most obscure green teas, but you’ll certainly have a wider variety of teas available than simply shopping at local tea stores.

You can do your own research to determine some of the green teas you’d like to try and then search for companies that carry them. Or, you can choose one or two of the best online tea companies and begin by sampling what they have to offer.

To ensure that you get the best quality in your green tea, it’s probably wise to choose the latter method. While one good tea company may not have every variety of green tea you’d like to try, you can be assured that you’re getting the best quality tea by only doing business with the most reputable tea purveyors.

Buying sample collections of tea online is a great way to try several varieties without spending a lot of money. Once you’ve sorted out your favorites, you can purchase these in larger quantities.

Some tea companies make sampler packs with a combination of green tea along with black, oolong and white teas. Others will offer a sample that consists strictly of multiple varieties of green tea.

If you choose your online tea companies wisely, you simply can’t go wrong. The best loose tea purveyors work with the best tea gardens in the world to ensure that they have only the finest teas for their customers.

Take the time to ensure that any tea company you buy from has a good reputation and offers a money back guarantee. This guarantee ensures you that if you ever receive a tea that is not of the quality you expect, you can return it? no questions asked.

A good online tea company can be your best ally in the quest to discover many of the world’s green tea varieties. The best tea shops will continue to add new products to their lines, but will only add those that provide the best quality in tea.

As your favorite tea company’s line broadens you can trust that you’re extending your knowledge of the world’s tea without sacrificing the quality of tea you drink.

Discovering green tea is quite a healthy adventure. While you’re finding out just what green teas appeal most to you, you can rest assured that you’re consuming one of the healthiest beverages in the world. Green tea is not only delicious, but has some very important health benefits.

In study after study, green tea has been shown to prevent disease and protect health. Lifelong tea drinkers have lower body weights and are less likely to suffer from heart disease, high cholesterol and cancer. Some studies even indicate that green tea may be able to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

So, go on your search for your favorite online tea shops. They can be your partner in traveling around the world to discover the many healthy and delicious green varieties of green tea!

Marcus Stout is President of the Golden Moon Tea Company. For more information about tea, wholesale tea and black tea go to http://www.goldenmoontea.com.