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7th Grader’s Science Project Finds Cancer-Fighting Chemicals in Green Tea

  • April 18, 2017

A curious 12-year-old has come up with an award-winning science project showing that green tea may have cancer-fighting chemicals in it. The young man used worms to help with the project, which showed that worms exposed to an antioxidant in the tea didn’t grow any tumors, CBS News reports.

Science project aside, when you’re thirsty, pure water is always a good choice, but sometimes you may be craving something different — and green tea not only is a good alternative, but provides significant benefits to your health. As this industrious student found, green tea contains numerous bioactive compounds with medicinal properties that show benefits for your heart health, brain function, metabolism, dental health, longevity and more.

There is even some evidence that long-term consumption of green tea catechins is beneficial for burning fat and may work with other chemicals to increase levels of fat oxidation and thermogenesis. And, yes, this tea’s components have shown in scientific studies that women who drank more than three cups of green tea a day also had a reduced risk of breast cancer recurrence.

But were you aware that matcha green tea is even more beneficial? Matcha, which means "powdered tea," has been shown to fight inflammation, reduce your risk of heart disease and lower levels of triglycerides and blood sugar in diabetics. A cup of matcha using one-half teaspoon of powder contains around 35 milligrams of caffeine, which is slightly more than what’s in a cup of regular green tea. It also contains as many antioxidants as you might find in 15 times the amount in pomegranates or blueberries. If you want to try matcha, be sure to purchase the organic variety.