Here's yet another potential health benefit from drinking green tea:

Researchers in Hong Kong have published research showing that components of the tea increase the activity of an enzyme that promotes bone growth. The investigators exposed bone-forming cells called osteoblasts to three major green tea components: epigallocatechin (EGC), gallocatechin (GC) and gallocatechin gallate (GCG). They reported that after several days EGC enhanced the activity of the enzyme that promotes bone growth by 79 percent. This exposure also increased levels of bone mineralization in cells. The same study indicated that high concentration of ECG blocked the activity of other cells that break down or weaken bone. Previous studies have suggested that tea may boost bone health, but this is the first one to identify the components of tea responsible for bone building. The study was published in the August 26, 2009 issue of the American Chemical Society's Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry and online on August 4, 2009. Meanwhile, a study published in the October 2009 issue of the Journal of Nutrition found that green tea extracts weakened bones in growing mice.

Stay tuned for more on this subject and (if you haven't already) try one of my favorite green teas - matcha!