It’s four o’clock on a weekday, and where will you find yours truly? Within earshot of a TV. There could be only one reason why I, a (some might say hypocritical) believer that television is the cause of all that is wrong with society today, is watching TV:  Oprah.   

            I live vicariously through Oprah; her weight transformations; her birthday celebrations; her life with Stedman. I know what she looks like without makeup and what the inside of her closet looks like. I even sometimes begin to think that Gayle is my best-friend too.

            And although I sometimes watch it because she has the latest heartthrob on or the cast of a favourite sitcom, and sometimes I am annoyed with her over the top give away shows, I have come to depend upon her and her guests to share free advice on fitness and health, relationships with friends and family, and just general life lessons. Because, “I’m every woman," just like Oprah.

            A recent guest was Dr. Perricone, author of another book on another diet, an anti-aging diet. The diet is not revolutionary: lots of green vegetables, fruits, good fats and proteins including wild salmon, tofu, eggs, poultry, olive, flax seed and nut oils,  and whole grains; your basic Canada food guide, with sugar in the  role of evil villain. It was the starring role that green tea played that caught my interest.

            And then this attractive woman stood up in the audience. They showed her before photo (no makeup, of course) and the audience lets out a deafening “OOOOOHHHH!” Oprah is jumping up and down, ecstatic, declaring herself a green tea believer. I’m sure that shares in green tea stocks went through the roof that very afternoon.

            In all the excitement, I thought I heard the woman say that all she did different was drink green tea every day for a week. I thought that sounded a bit too easy, so decided to investigate. The powers of green tea are certainly not new; I had just never seen such graphic results before, and certainly not from such a credible source.

            Black, Oolong, and Green teas come from the same plant, Camellia sinesis. The leaves of this plant contain, among many other things, a group of chemicals called polyphenols. These are powerful antioxidants, also found in many fruits, vegetables, and red wine. Black teas and Oolong are processed by fermentation which inactivates these chemicals, while green teas are left unfermented. This is the reason for the difference in colour, flavour, and healthful benefits between the 3 teas.

            Antioxidants are known to benefit the body in many ways, largely due to their ability to protect our cells from agents that cause cancer. Many of these benefits are known as a result of epidemiological studies; conclusions reached from studying large populations of people who drink green tea, but others have been successfully duplicated and proven in lab animals.

            . The first population studies were done on the population which consumes the most green tea a day, Chinese men. It was noticed that they have a much lower cancer rate then their counterparts in other countries. Studies, some as long as 25 years long, have also shown decreased risk of heart attacks, coronary heart disease, and blood clotting. Cholesterol has been shown to be decreased, and the ratio of good (HDL) to bad (LDL) cholesterol improved. Keep in mind, in most cases we are talking 5-10 cups of green tea a day.

            Studies continue to prove that green tea can prevent almost every type of cancer, from bowel to prostate. Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, it has been shown in lab animals to reduce and even prevent arthritis. Scientists are even looking for clinical proof that green tea can actually accelerate fat burning.

            Green tea also contains a large amount of vitamin C, has fluoride which may protect against tooth decay, and tannins which can ease indigestion. It may even promote longevity.

            While many of these results are based on population studies, some have gone to clinical trials, a necessary step to prove and quantitate results found in non-clinical settings. For a simple example, just because a large percentage of Chinese men lived past the age of 100, and drank 10 cups of green tea a day, you could not conclude that the tea was the reason. Perhaps it was because they also ate rice and bok choy every day, or soy sauce and ginger, or a combination of all three. But the findings are enough to make scientists take it seriously and look further.  

            There are even claims that green tea may protect the skin against sunburn…but hold on, I only wanted to look a few years younger.

            On Oprah’s website, I found the discouraging news that the woman “we” had so admired actually had given up coffee for green tea, and the “promise” was that in 6 weeks I would loose 10 pounds and look fabulous.

            Six weeks! Give up coffee! Maybe I should go at this in a more scientific manner. You know, only change one variable at a time, like say add green tea, but keep my latte as well. Because after 6 weeks, how would I know if it was giving up coffee or adding green tea that had given me this healthful new radiance?

            I’ll let you know the result of the “New Modified Sorrenti Green Tea Diet” if it works, but gotta run; my “girlfriend” is on now.