Green tea is the healthiest drink of all times, and you have probably heard a lot about it. However, there are always new things to learn when it comes to the health benefits of green tea.
Some people use it as a coffee replacement and energy booster, while others drink green tea to lose weight, improve brain function, and prevent cancer.
No matter what your reasons are, this antioxidant beverage will change your life to better and help you reinvent a better a self. Here are the top 10 evidence-based health benefits of green tea:
1. Its Bioactive Compounds Can Boost Your Health
Green tea contains a lot of antioxidant properties in its leaves that help to fight many diseases. Over 30% of the plant contains polyphenols, active antioxidants, crucial in combating cancer.
It also boasts catechin (natural antioxidant) that prevents cell damage. When the body contains free radicals, the cells get damaged, therefore, regular intake of green tea can stop the decomposition of cells and eliminate the disease. Green tea also contains minerals that promote good health.
2. Green Tea Can Boost Brain Function
Green tea can literally make you smarter! Thanks to its active compounds like caffeine (less than in coffee), and L-theanine, your neurons will be on fire, and your reaction time and memory will skyrocket.
- Caffeine in green tea helps with releasing neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine, which can improve your mood, memory, and vigilance.
- L-theanine boosts the activity of the neurotransmitter GABA, famous for its anti-anxiety properties.
3. Green Tea Helps with Weight Loss
As you already know, green tea helps with fat burning. A lot of dietary supplements are based on green tea extract because it promotes fast metabolism and improves physical performance. Nevertheless, the credit for speeding up the metabolism goes to the high caffeine content. However, different studies show that it also depends on the individual on how much fat will the green tea burn, and the best result so far are 11-12%.
4. Green Tea Prevents Some Types of Cancer
The deadliest disease of the modern human being, cancer, is a result of oxidative cell damage. Knowing this, it is logical that the antioxidant properties of green tea can intervene in the cancer creation process, and completely block it.
- Breast cancer – According to a study, women who drink green tea have 20-30% lower chances of developing the disease.
- Prostate cancer – Men who drink green tea have a 40% lower risk.
- Colorectal cancer – The results of 29 studies prove that people who drink green tea have 42% lower chances of developing the disease.
5. Green Tea Lowers Alzheimer and Parkinson’s Disease Chances in Old Age
If you want to prevent the two leading neurodegenerative diseases, then start drinking green tea every morning. We know that the catechin compounds contained in green tea are improving brain cells’ health and stopping their deformation, which means that it will potentially stop these incurable diseases. It’s better to be safe than sorry!
6. It Kills Bacteria and Improves Dental Health
Green tea is also boasting antibacterial properties, therefore, doing much more for you than you can imagine. Its antibacterial compounds can destroy viruses like influenza, and also eliminate bacteria like Streptococcus that firstly inhabits the mouth. By eliminating this intruder, green tea is protecting the gums and providing a healthy environment for your teeth. Various studies also show that green tea lowers the risk of caries, and it also helps with bad breath issues.
7. Green Tea May Lower the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 Diabetes is one of the most spread diseases in the last couple of decades, affecting 400 million people around the world. It provokes increased blood sugar levels and it’s difficult to regulate.
Studies show that green tea helps with insulin sensitivity, and it definitely reduces blood sugar levels, which helps patients to control their disease, or even better, prevent it. Actually, this is one of the greatest health benefits of green tea and the reason why more people consume it every day.
8. It May Lower the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
Some of the main causes of death worldwide are cardiovascular diseases. These include stroke and heart disease, both triggered by high LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and total cholesterol.
What studies show so far is that the antioxidant properties of green tea are efficient in protecting the LDL particles from oxidation, which is one of the main causes of stroke. By consuming green tea regularly, you increase the chances of having a healthy and long-lasting heart, protected from damage and early failure.
9. Green Tea Lowers the Risk of Obesity
As we already mentioned earlier, green tea works perfectly as a fat burner. This action is most common for the abdominal part, where the body usually stores the extra fat layers. By speeding up the metabolism in a short time, green tea does magic in creating a totally new figure for you, and that way increase your self-confidence.
10. Green Tea Will Make You Live Longer
Dying is inevitable, but if you drink a couple of cups of green tea a day, you will surely live longer. Why is this? It’s because of all the above-mentioned health benefits of green tea, and especially the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and cancer. What doesn’t kill, it makes you stronger (and live longer).
According to various studies in Japan with people who drink green tea multiple times a day, the results are showing:
- Lower death rate of all cases – 23% in women, 12% in men.
- Lower death rate from heart disease – 31% in women, 22% in men.
- Lower death rate from stroke – 42% in women, 35% in men.
It seems like the health benefits of green tea are endless, and that’s why we love it. We live in difficult times and promoting healthy habits is more than necessary. Try to add this delicious and nutritious beverage to your everyday diet now, and thank yourself later. Green tea is a blessing!
