Links have also been made between the effects of drinking green tea and the “French Paradox”, where despite consuming a diet rich in fat, the French have a low rate of heart disease. The answer lies in red wine, which contains resveratrol, which limits the negative effects of smoking and a fatty diet. In 1997, researchers from the University of Kansas showed that EGCG, a powerful anti-oxidant found in green tea, is twice as powerful as resveratrol, which may explain the low rate of heart disease among Japanese men, even though a majority of them are smokers.

Green and black teas all come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. What sets green tea apart is that green tea leaves are steamed, which prevents the EGCG compound from being oxidized. By contrast, black tea leaves are fermented, which results in the EGCG being converted into other compounds that are not nearly as effective in disease prevention.