Chá verde (Camellia sinensis) e suas propriedades funcionais nas doenças crônicas não transmissíveis

Aims: To review the main properties of green tea to human health. Source of data: Articles from Medline/Pubmed and SciELO databases. Summary of findings: Tea is the most consumed beverage in the world after water. Due to its production process, green tea contains more catechins than black tea or oolong tea. There is scientific evidence that the catechins are in vitro and in vivo potent antioxidants. Recent human studies suggest that green tea can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and some forms of cancer, as well as promote other health benefits such as hypoglycemic effect, body weight control, protection against ultraviolet rays and maintenance of bone mineral density. The growing interest in their benefits led to the inclusion of green tea in the group of beverages with functional properties. However, it is very important to note that green tea can also present adverse effects. Conclusions: Despite all the promising evidence about functionals properties of green tea on non-transmissible chronic diseases, further investigations are necessary to fully understand its real contribution to human health.