Some of the green tea antioxidants are found in other plants, as well. Green tea antioxidants aren't magic bullets. Some varieties of cocoa contain catechins, which is why chocolate is sometimes promoted as a "health" food. The green tea antioxidant activity is fairly well known. That's why the best supplements contain extracts form the plant, rather than singling out a single green tea antioxidant. Gallic acid is found in witch hazel, oak bark and some other plants.
Several of them are known collectively as catechins. Green Tea Antioxidant Benefits - Is This the Magic Bullet.
Hopefully, we'll get a little bit of everything. Other polyphenols found in the plant are also active. In nature there are over 4000 different polyphenol-antioxidants, which is one of the reasons that nutritionists recommend that we eat a variety of foods. It is believed that all of the different polyphenols work together to provide the health benefits. There are actually a number of different green tea antioxidants. Including only one of them would likely decrease the effectiveness of the supplement. |