Green Tea health benefit
Green Tea health benefit. Maximilian Stock Ltd. Getty Images
Quite possibly one of the healthiest things anyone can drink, green tea has been synonymous in Chinese culture for over 4000 years. As well as for the taste, green tea has many medicinal benefits including reducing the risk of cancer, strokes, improving brain function and so much more.
Healthy benefits of Green Tea:
Green tea can improve your brain function, make you smarter and think quicker. It contains the amino acid L-theanine which in conjunction with the caffeine can reduce anxiety.
Green tea contains less caffeine than coffee but has enough to keep you awake and improve brain function.
Green tea will help your body to burn fat and boost your metabolic rate. One study involving 10 men found that drinking green tea regularly increased energy expenditure by 4%. Another study showed fat oxidation increased by 17%.
Green tea can protect your brain when you are old and reduce the chance to get Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. A 2010 laboratory study found green tea can protect against the nerve cell death associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. More research is needed but so far it’s looking extremely positive.
Green tea might be the new cure for stomach and breast cancer! A recent 2015 study found a compound from green tea that combined with a drug called Herceptin, which can be used in the treatment of stomach and breast cancer. The laboratory were promising and planning human trials.
Breast cancer: A meta-analysis of studies found women who drank the most green tea had a 22% lower risk of developing breast cancer which is the most common cancer in women.
Prostate cancer: One study found that men who drank the most green tea had a 48% lower chance of developing the most common type of cancer in men, prostate cancer.
Colorectal cancer: A study of over 69,000 women in China found that regular green tea drinkers had a 57% lower risk of colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer, which is also known as colon cancer, rectal cancer or bowel cancer, and the consumption of green tea
Drinking green tea can help to lower cholesterol. A review from 2013 that involved 821 people found if you drink green tea or black tea on a daily basis it will help you to cut down your cholesterol and lower your blood pressure due to the catechins the tea contains. Most of the trials were short term so need more long-term studies and research.
Green tea is good for your teeth. The catechins in green tea can kill bacteria and reduce the chances of catching the influenza virus.
A study in Japan found that those who drank the most green tea had a 42% lower risk of developing type II diabetes. Diabetes, which affects approximately 300 million people, involves having elevated levels of blood sugar and a reduced ability to produce natural insulin. Green tea can improve insulin sensitivity and reduce blood sugar levels.
Drinking more green tea can reduce your risk of dying. In a Japanese study, 40,530 adults who drank 5 or more cups of green tea a day were significantly less likely to die over an 11 year period. Overall death of causes which combined heart disease and strokes showed a 23% less chance of dying for women and 12% lower in men.
Green tea is good for your skin. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties within green tea can help with wrinkles and the signs of aging. Both human and animal studies have shown green tea applied topically can reduce sun damage.
How much green tea?
There are mixed opinions about how much green tea one should consume. The reality is one cup of green tea isn’t enough to affect your health. Some believe 2 cups of green tea will show benefits while others say 5. Some people say up to 10 cups is ideal but if you’re concerned about spending a lot of time in the bathroom you can add a green tea supplement to your diet.
Downsides of green tea?
Green tea contains tannins which can decrease the absorption of iron and folic acids. If you’re pregnant or trying to conceive green tea may be less than ideal.
Otherwise green tea has so many abundant benefits it’s something we really can’t afford not to drink.