I’m a coffee drinker, and I often feel guilty about my love for the bean when I hear about the benefits of green tea. Green tea is the most popular tea drank worldwide, and in the last two decades, it has gained popularity in the west. Green tea undergoes the least amount of processing compared to black tea, thus it contains more antioxidants.
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center:
Green tea is made from unfermented leaves and reportedly contains the highest concentration of powerful antioxidants called polyphenols. Antioxidants are substances that scavenge free radicals — damaging compounds in the body that alter cells, tamper with DNA (genetic material), and even cause cell death…Many scientists believe that free radicals contribute to the aging process as well as the development of a number of health problems, including cancer and heart disease. Antioxidants such as polyphenols in green tea can neutralize free radicals and may reduce or even help prevent some of the damage they cause.
From weight loss to cancer, there are many benefits to drinking green tea. Here are five health benefits of drinking green tea that have been proven in correlation studies:
- Cancer: Clinical studies have proven green tea helps prevent many types of cancers, and there is research to support polyphenols may actually kill cancer cells and arrest their growth. Bladder, breast, ovarian, colorectal, esophageal, lung, pancreatic, prostrate, skin, and stomach cancers have all shown to be positively affected by green tea.
- Heart disease: Natural News reports:
Research at the Graduate School of Medicine in Kyoto, Japan confirmed that green tea polyphenols can protect a heart from oxidative stress, as well as maintain good left ventricular function after ischemic arrest (restriction in the heart’s blood supply) and reperfusion (tissue damage caused when the blood supply returns).
Green tea also protects the heart by preventing hypertension.
- Type 2 diabetes: Green tea consumption “may improve glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in individuals with diabetes.” In studies, it has been shown to help our bodies make better use of glucose.
- Weight Loss: Drinking green tea boosts the body’s metabolism. The polyphenols also help burn fat. The World’s Healthiest Foods explains:
A human study, published in the January 2005 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, confirms green tea’s ability to not only reduce body fat, but damage to LDL cholesterol as well. After 12 weeks of drinking just one bottle of green tea each day, 38 normal-to-overweight men in Tokyo had a significantly lower body weight, BMI, waist circumference, body fat mass and amount of subcutaneous fat compared to men given a bottle of oolong tea each day.
- Cognitive improvement: Senior citizens that drink green tea have demonstrated increased mental abilities. Also, green tea may protect the brain from forming plaque deposits found in Alzheimer’s disease and reduce memory loss.
Green tea has amazing health benefits, but how much do you need to drink? Studies have varied on consumption levels from one to three cups, and very little research has been done on the benefits of green tea for children. Whatever the amount, a little green tea in your diet is sure to have some positive effect.
More from GLI:
Green tea has been consumed in China for more than 4000 years. I remember reading about green tea’s ability to fight cancer a number of years ago. I have it in Asian restaurants when I eat there but green tea is not easy to take to go. Tea is always grand on a rainy day I say.
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I’ll drink to that!
Coffee is a fuel injection and goes great at 6am.
For a relaxing break it’s green tea.
Green tea is a type of tea made solely with the leaves of Camellia sinensis, that has undergone minimal oxidation during processing. Green tea originates from China and has become associated with many cultures in Asia from Japan to the Middle East. Recently, it has become more widespread in the West, where black tea is traditionally consumed. Many varieties of green tea have been created in countries where it is grown. These varieties can differ substantially due to variable growing conditions, processing and harvesting time.
Healthy five tips about green, today i will start to reduce my weight
Thanks for this post. I don’t like tea but after reading green tea benefits, will try and drink.
After seeing the weight loss on my spouse since he’s been drinking Green tea, I now truly believe that it works. Green tea does work in helping to loose weight. Now I will start drinking Green tea more often and see how much I will loose.
I started drinking green tea about three month ago because I love sweet tea, but had read that green tea is healthier. So I started drinking a 8 oz. glass a day with a sugar substitute. I had my yearly physical this week and my blood pressure was 118/76 (it is usually around 140/90) and I had losted 6 pounds without dieting.
Hi, excellent article about the topic matter,its really helpful ,thank you for sharing ,A benefit of green tea is the destruction of free radicals. Cancer’s high death rate is known to be significantly lower for both genders in the Orient.
Someone wrote that there partner lost weight so they will try it lmao, sorry if it sounds judgmental but come on, please. It’s all the meat based diets and and fatty, suger based snacks, fizzy drinks and everything else that’s not natraul for humans to consume. Please people wake up to the world we are living in and stop killing yourselfs and your children by feeding them the crap from the supermarkets. Go organic or even better grow your own food.