Learn about the health benefits of green tea and how to make it a part of your daily routine to boost your health and improve your overall well-being. Tea has been around for centuries, and there are many different varieties. While certain types of tea can be beneficial to your health, others can be bad for you if you’re not careful when choosing them. Green tea comes from the same plant as black and oolong teas; however, it’s processed differently to preserve its nutrients and antioxidants.
1) Green tea boosts your metabolism
Drinking green tea boosts your metabolism to burn calories faster. In fact, research shows that drinking just one cup burns 10 more calories than eating a similar amount of coffee or water. And if you drink five cups a day, you could burn about 50 additional calories a day—or an extra pound every two months, without doing anything else.
If you currently drink just one cup a day, work up to five cups a day and watch your body transform itself (in all kinds of awesome ways). And if weight loss isn’t enough motivation for you to add green tea to your diet—it also has been shown to reduce the risk of cancer, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (although those studies are preliminary)
2) A cup of green tea lowers LDL cholesterol
A study published in the March 2012 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine determined that drinking green tea can lower levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, which is known as bad cholesterol.
LDL is released by your liver and transported to tissues throughout your body; it is one form of bad cholesterol because having too much can lead to buildup in artery walls, which increases your risk for cardiovascular disease. To lose weight safely but quickly, switch to a green tea diet.
3) Green tea reduces risks of heart disease
Studies suggest that drinking green tea can reduce your risk of heart disease by 25 percent, thanks to its antioxidant properties. Research indicates that green tea drinkers have lower rates of coronary artery disease, stroke and cardiovascular disease than non-green tea drinkers.
One study showed that those who drank five cups of green tea a day were 46 percent less likely to die from heart-related problems than non-green tea drinkers. After 15 years, participants in another study showed a 33 percent reduction in coronary artery narrowing compared with non-tea drinkers.
4) Green tea inhibits cancer cell growth
Numerous studies suggest that green tea may inhibit cancer cell growth in vitro and in animal models. In a cell study published in Anticancer Research, researchers found that using high concentrations of polyphenols extracted from green tea leaves inhibited growth, spread, and migration (also known as metastasis) of breast cancer cells.
The same study also reported that these polyphenols helped stop the activity of other enzymes necessary for cancer cell growth. These studies are promising because they suggest that drinking green tea can help prevent breast cancer.
5) Tea improves dental health
Tea, particularly green tea, is rich in fluoride. This mineral plays a vital role in tooth remineralization and keeps teeth strong by reducing demineralization. In fact, according to one Japanese study published in Caries Research, drinking green tea produced higher levels of fluoride that strengthened tooth enamel and led to lower incidences of dental decay.
Additionally, drinking green tea causes bad breath due to its high concentration of fluorine compounds. So if you’re looking for a natural way to improve your dental health—or just need something extra to strengthen your pearly whites—you might want to consider putting down that cup of coffee and picking up some green tea instead!
6) Drinking tea lowers blood pressure
Research has shown that certain teas, including green tea, have antihypertensive effects (can lower blood pressure) in humans. One study found that regular consumption of green tea lowers blood pressure by as much as 5 mm Hg systolic and 3 mm Hg diastolic compared to non-green tea drinkers.
The same study found an inverse correlation between blood pressure levels and catechin levels in tea drinkers. In other words, those who drank a lot of green tea had lower blood pressure.
7) Drink tea for a long life
Researchers say that drinking three to five cups of green tea each day can significantly decrease your risk of developing cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and type 2 diabetes. How does green tea do it? Well, scientists have long known that green tea is high in antioxidants—natural chemicals thought to neutralize damaging free radicals and prevent cell damage.
Recently, they’ve learned a few new tricks: Antioxidants in green tea may actually boost your metabolism, helping you burn more calories after sipping on these brews. In one recent Japanese study, participants who consumed 5-6 cups of oolong tea (another kind of Asian tea) every day for 12 weeks lost nearly 3 pounds more than those who drank plain water instead.
8) Green tea helps weight loss
Overweight individuals who consumed at least two to three cups of green tea per day had more success losing weight than those who didn’t, according to a study conducted by Yokohama City University in Japan. Researchers attribute green tea’s ability to fight fat and prevent obesity to its high concentration of catechins.
Studies show that catechins (particularly EGCG) are effective for increasing energy expenditure and burning fat quickly, even during rest. Green tea is also thought to help prevent obesity-related diseases such as diabetes because it blocks the absorption of glucose from food and encourages your body to burn its own stored fat instead.
9) Caffeine in green tea stimulates fat-burning enzymes in your body
The caffeine in green tea is an added bonus to all of its health benefits. It increases your body’s resting metabolic rate, and recent studies show that it also aids in fat burning. In fact, one study found that people who drink four cups of green tea every day can burn up to 70 additional calories per day.
Over time, these small amounts will certainly add up and help you lose weight much faster than if you were just sitting around drinking coffee all day! Coffee contains less than 1 percent polyphenols: As mentioned earlier, caffeinated green tea contains about 50 percent more antioxidants than black tea. While both teams come from a plant known as Camellia sinensis, only green tea is made from unfermented leaves.
10) Tea prevents Alzheimer’s Disease
A Harvard Medical School study found that drinking green tea is a natural way to keep Alzheimer’s at bay. A compound in green tea called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) has been shown to prevent beta-amyloid from forming, which is believed to be one of the main causes of Alzheimer’s disease.
In fact, researchers have found that rats fed EGCG performed better on memory tests than those who weren’t given green tea extract. Other studies have shown that EGCG can slow or even reverse brain aging by increasing oxygen flow and stimulating brain cell metabolism. Drink up!
Conclusion
The health benefits of green tea are many, but drinking it regularly has been shown to provide protection against a wide range of illnesses and ailments. In particular, green tea may protect your cardiovascular system and help ward off obesity, cancer, liver damage, high cholesterol levels and hypertension (high blood pressure).
Research continues to delve into all that green tea has to offer. The results so far show that it could be one of nature’s best remedies for staying healthy for years to come.
