Bottled Green Tea: Is it Really Healthy?

In the subject of health, the benefits of green tea has been a popular topic. One of green tea's most beneficial attributes is the fact that it is high in antioxidants called polyphenols which are said to help reduce the risk of heart disease and even certain cancers. Because green tea is made from unfermented tea leaves, it is said to contain higher levels of polyphenols than other types of tea.

So while we're on this subject, you may have noticed that a large variety of bottled green teas have appeared in the marketplace. These teas are often advertised as a healthy drink choice but are they as healthy as a cup of brewed green tea?

As far as antioxidant levels go, bottled green tea has the disadvantage because much of the antioxidants are lost in the processing. Even so, these levels can be equal or sometimes superior to antioxidant rich fruit juices such as grape or blueberry juice. A lot depends on the type of manufacturing process used and the quality of green tea used in the product.

Other things to take into consideration, when it comes to buying bottled green tea, are added sweeteners, artificial ingredients and preservatives. Often bottled tea products are loaded with sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup which can lessen the health benefits significantly. They also may have artificial preservatives such as sodium benzoate and other additives such as artificial coloring. Diet green teas contain added artificial sweeteners which are still being debated about causing health problems in certain people, although many people prefer drinking this type of bottled green tea over the high fructose version because it has fewer calories.