Green tea is the healthiest beverage on the planet. It is loaded with antioxidants and nutrients that have powerful effects on the body. These include improved brain function, fat loss, a lower risk of cancer and many other impressive benefits. Below are 10 health benefits of green tea that are supported by studies.
May Lower Your Risk of Some Types of Cancer
Green tea is an excellent source of powerful antioxidants, so it makes sense that it could reduce your risk of cancer, which it appears to do:
Breast cancer: A meta-analysis of observational studies found that women who drank the most green tea had a 20-30% lower risk of developing breast cancer, the most common cancer in women.
Prostate cancer: One study found that men drinking green tea had a 48% lower risk of developing prostate cancer, which is the most common cancer in men.
Colorectal cancer: An analysis of 29 studies showed that those drinking green tea were up to 42% less likely to develop colorectal cancer.
It is important to keep in mind that it may be a bad idea to put milk in your tea, because some studies suggest it reduces the antioxidant value.
Can Help You Lose Weight
Given that green tea can boost the metabolic rate in the short term, it makes sense that it could help you lose weight. Several studies show that green tea leads to decrease in body fat, especially in abdominal area.
May Lower Your Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a disease that has reached epidemic proportions in the past few decades and now afflicts about 400 million people worldwide.
This disease involves having elevated blood sugar levels in the context of insulin resistance or an inability to produce insulin.
It contains bioactive compounds that improve health
Green tea is more than just liquid. Many of the plant compounds in the tea leaves contains large amounts of important nutrients. Tea is rich in polyphenols that have effects like reducing inflammation and helping to fight cancer.
It is also known to play a role in aging and all sorts of diseases.
It can improve brain function and make you smarter
Green tea does more than just keep you awake, it can also make you smarter. The key active ingredient is caffeine, which is a known stimulant. The caffeine has been intensively studied before and consistently leads to improvements in various aspects of brain function, including improved mood, vigilance, reaction time and memory.
It also has the amino acid L-theanine, which is able to cross the blood-brain barrier. Many people report having more stable energy and being much more productive when they drink green tea, compared to coffee.
Green Tea increases fat burning and improves physical performance
Green tea has been shown to increase fat burning and boost the metabolic rate. Greem tea has been shown to boost the metabolic rate and increase fat burning in the short term, although not all studies agree.
May protect your brain in old age, lowering risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
Not only can green tea improve brain function in the short term, it may also protect your brain in old age. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease in humans and a leading cause of dementia.
Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease and involves the death of dopamine producing neurons in the brain.
Multiple studies show that the catechin compounds in green tea can have various protective effects on neurons in test tubes and animal models, potentially lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Agencies
