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I’m always happy to share useful health information that will help readers stay healthy and happy. So, in this series, I’ll be talking about various foods, teas, and fruits that provide different health benefits. The aim is to help everyone make better eating choices and stay healthy. Also, I have several health posts that you will enjoy. You can go through some of my articles and I assure you of a great time.
In this post, I’ll be sharing on the health benefits of green tea.
For some people, green tea is regarded as the healthiest beverage on earth. Perhaps it's because green tea is packed with great nutrients and antioxidants that have powerful effects on the human body. Before talking about the health benefits of green tea, it's important that you know about some of the components of green tea.
So What is Green Tea?
It's a kind of tea that is produced from the Camellia sinensis leaves. It has not passed through the type of withering and oxidation process that black tea and oolong teas pass through. There are also many varieties of green tea and they actually differ greatly based on horticultural methods, time of harvest, the variety of Camellia sinensis, production processing, and growing conditions.
A Brief History of Green Tea
It is believed that green tea originated from China, however, it is presently produced in many Asian countries. Tea consumption has its origins in China and it was believed to have been recorded during the reign of Emperor Shennong.
The Act of Steeping, Brewing, and Serving
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Steeping is the process involved in the preparation of the tea from hot water and leaves and the temperatures range from 61°C to 87°C. The steeping time also ranges from 30 seconds to three minutes. Ideally, the green teas that are of a lower quality are steeped longer and hotter while the teas that are of a higher quality are steeped shorter and cooler and also multiple times like 2-3 times typically.
Health Benefits of Green Tea
There are several health benefits of taking green tea, various research has been carried out to determine the health benefits we can derive from the intake of the tea. Let's take a look at some of the benefits.
Reduces Mortality Risk
According to information from studies conducted, it has been discovered that taking green tea will help to lower the risk of death from any cause significantly. In fact, an increase of just one cup of green tea daily is associated with a 4 percent lower risk of death from any cause. Also, the results of an analysis further revealed that an increase in the intake of green tea to 3 cups daily is associated with a lower risk of total mortality in women and Asians. Now that's quite interesting. Take a look at some statistics regarding the relationship between the reduction of mortality rate and intake of green tea:
According to a study of 40,530 Japanese adults, it was discovered that individuals who drank a higher quantity of green tea (daily intake of 5 cups or more) were remarkably less likely to die with an 11-year period as a result of:
- Death from heart disease- It was 22 percent lower in men and 31 percent lower in women
- Death as a result of all causes- 12 percent lower in men and 23 percent lower in women
- Death from stroke- 35 percent lower in men and 42 percent lower in women
There are several factors that are responsible for the improved health derived from the intake of green tea. It contains bioactive compounds and it is rich in polyphenols that can help to fight cancer and reduce inflammation.
It also contains large amounts of catechin known as EGCG and they are natural antioxidants that help our body to prevent cell damage. They can also help to significantly reduce the formation of free radicals in the human body and protect cells and molecules from any damage. The free radicals play a role in various kinds of diseases and in the aging process.
When buying green tea, endeavour to select the ones that are higher quality because lower quality green teas may contain large amounts of fluoride.
Gives Your Brain a Boost
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Are you interested in increasing your brain function and smartness? Then green tea may just be the perfect solution to your needs. It does not just keep you awake, it helps to increase your smartness because of one of the ingredients which is caffeine. Its caffeine content is not as much as the one in coffee but it's sufficient to make a positive impact without causing the jittery effect that is common with much caffeine intake.
Apart from caffeine, green tea also contains amino acid L-theanine that is capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier and increasing the activity of inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA which possesses anti-anxiety effects. According to studies, the combination of L-theanine and caffeine leads to synergistic effects and very potent at enhancing the human brain function.
Protects Your Brain During Old Age
Apart from enhancing your brain function, it also protects the brain in old age. This will help reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, which are two common neurodegenerative diseases people suffer. Results from several studies have indicated that catechin compounds found in green tea have diverse protective effects on neurons in animal and test tubes models which potentially lowers the risk of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
Helps to Lower the Risk of Type II Diabetes
In the past few decades, type II diabetes has reached epidemic proportions and it is believed to affect an estimate of 400 million people globally. Research has revealed that green tea can improve insulin sensitivity and also help to lower the blood sugar levels in the body. A study carried out on Japanese individuals discovered that people who took green tea had a 42 percent lower risk of having type II diabetes and several results from different studies have also indicated various levels of positive effects green tea has in lowering the risk of diabetes.
Lowers the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
Did you know that the biggest causes of death in the world are cardiovascular diseases which include stroke and heart disease? The intake of green tea can help improve some of the risk factors of these cardiovascular diseases. It will greatly increase the antioxidant capacity of the blood and this helps to protect the LDL particles from oxidation (this is actually a part of the pathway leading to heart disease). Generally, green tea drinkers enjoy about 31 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
Lowers the Risk of Obesity
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Drinking green tea can help to boost your metabolic rate in the short-term and several studies indicate that the intake of green tea can help lower body fat especially, the fat found in the abdominal region of the body. However, there are also some studies that did not indicate a remarkable increase in weight loss due to the intake of green tea. Although it is not fully confirmed by most researches conducted, green tea may be effective in lowering the extent of abdominal fat.
Well, there are other benefits of taking green tea, however, I'll stop here. You can make further research to know more about the health benefits of drinking green tea and if you love the benefits I explained, then you might consider making green tea part of your life because according to research, moderate, regular, and habitual intake of green tea is considered safe though there have been few reports of liver toxicity in humans after drinking high doses (10-29mg/day) of green tea extract dietary supplements. Also, high doses of green tea may serve as a pro-oxidant which will cause damage to DNA. I hope you enjoyed reading, I'll be writing about another healthy food that will help enhance your health so make sure you check it out. Thanks for reading.
Reference
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-green-tea#section1
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1614995
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_tea