Learn About Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG)

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is a catechin! This means it's a compound with proven benefits to your health. Ladies, this one's also a natural antioxidant. In fact, it's the one green tea has the most of! Evidence indicates EGCG helps treat many health issues. That said, you can consume too much of it and face some side effects.

EGCG is one of the best green tea catechins. It's actually a major reason why so many people drink green tea when they're trying to lose lots of weight! EGCG makes green tea one of the best natural remedies for weight loss. However, some of you will take green tea capsules for this instead. Before you do anything, though, you have to understand how EGCG works!

Sources Of EGCG

Ladies, you will find EGCG in many things! Sources include vegetables, fruits, nuts, teas, and many different supplements. Evidence indicates that the best natural source is carob flour, which is a cocoa alternative! It's made from the pods of carob trees. Of course, green tea is another great natural source. Out of all teas, it has the most EGCG! Other good tea sources are white, oolong, and black teas.

Fruits and veggies have some EGCG, but not as much as teas do! The best fruit for this catechin is Fuji apples, and other good fruit sources are raspberries, plums, and cranberries. The unreliable sources include avocadoes, peaches, and strawberries. Ladies, you will find EGCG in nuts like pecans and hazelnuts too!

How It Works

Ladies, free radicals trigger a lot of cell damage, typically because of oxidization. Thankfully, there's some good news! You can protect yourself against these free radicals and the damage they cause. You do this with antioxidants! This is part of the power of EGCG: it's a natural antioxidant.

One of the processes that EGCG helps with is apoptosis. This is the one where your immune system finds and removes damaged cells. It even destroys cancerous cells! EGCG is also quite good at getting rid of inflammation. This is because it targets proinflammatory cytokines, which are among the proteins that impact your immune system.

Uses

Many clinical trials are looking at EGCG and its uses. They believe that it's a good way to treat many health conditions! A major reason for this is that it's an antioxidant. Ladies, it also has antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. One study looking at EGCG found that it helps a lot with weight loss. Specifically, obese individuals can lose a lot of weight after 12 weeks of drinking green tea daily. The amount of green tea they drank had up to 460 mg of EGCG in it.

Ladies, this catechin can also reduce your oxidative stress. Some research says that it deals with cancer, premature aging, and fatty liver disease as well. In addition, some new treatments for cancer combine EGCG with chemotherapy! They're undergoing lots of testing, though. Finally, this catechin helps stop brain damage from conditions like Alzheimer's disease.

Side Effects And Risks

Natural sources of EGCG have clear health benefits. They're well-documented! That said, ladies, highly processed sources have some side effects and risks. This includes supplements and even processed green tea powder. The reason is that you will often consume a lot of EGCG from processed sources. Research says high amounts can actually trigger oxidative stress! This will leave you with systemic inflammation and a higher risk of many medical conditions.

Ladies, EGCG also carries a risk of damage to your liver and epithelial lining. This lining, by the way, is supposed to protect many of your organs! Evidence says that you are more likely to see side effects from EGCG when you have diabetes. This comes from a study where treated mice had a 60 percent higher mortality rate because of kidney damage. That said, you need to have a lot of EGCG for this stuff to happen!

Dosage Instructions

Of course, the dose of EGCG depends on what form you're getting it in! Ladies, when you're drinking green tea, drink between 90 to 300 mg daily. This amount is healthy and safe! Sadly, supplements mean you will get over 1000 mg daily in many cases. High amounts like this can be dangerous! There are no universal guidelines on how much EGCG you need. Some say it's dangerous after 800 mg in one day. Others say that over 338 mg of solid EGCG will start to cause side effects! In the end, it's best to avoid processed sources and supplements unless your doctor tells you it's okay.