7 Benefits Of Drinking Green Tea Daily
Green tea has been a popular beverage for centuries in cultures across Asia, but it’s only recently that the tea began to show up on grocery store shelves in the United States. When you look at the benefits of green tea, the list seems to be endless. That’s largely because green tea is minimally processed, which helps preserve the natural polyphenols and antioxidants that protect the body’s health.
Hundreds of studies have been conducted to verify the benefits of regularly drinking green tea. The seven points below are the top reasons you may want to stock up on green tea products:
1. Jolt of Energy Without the Jitters. Green tea has caffeine, but the level is much lower than a cup of coffee. It’s the right balance for an afternoon pick me up that won’t disrupt your night sleep pattern and throw off your circadian clock.
2. Weight Loss. The weight loss benefits of EGCG — a polyphenol found in green tea — are documented, but they’re still disputed. Some studies have shown that these polyphenols help to boost metabolism by intensifying fat oxidation and are especially beneficial for people that are overweight.
3. Fight the Signs of Aging. Free radicals. Those two words are synonymous with the aging process. Free radicals are formed inside the body from sun exposure, environmental influences and our own bodily functions. The antioxidants in green tea, particularly flavonoids and polyphenols, help keep them in check. When free radical damage is minimized it can slow the aging process.
4. Protect Your Ticker. If there’s one thing that green tea does well, it’s protect the heart. Researchers reviewed a number of studies and confirmed that green tea helps to lower bad cholesterol, increase good cholesterol, improve blood flow, lower high blood pressure and can help prevent a number of heart-related problems.
5. Boost Brain Power. Neuroscientists say that the better blood flow and healthier vessels that come with drinking green tea also help lessen mental decline as people age. Studies have shown that green tea has one other huge benefit for the brain; it helps prevent the build up of plaque that is present with Alzheimer’s disease.
6. Keep Infections and Disease Under Control. Green tea is full of antioxidants that help the body fight off and even prevent diseases and infections. Catechins, abundantly present in green tea, are one such antioxidant that has been shown to protect against cell damage. Flavonoids also help to fight infections. It’s believed that the polyphenols in green tea have the ability to kill cancer cells. So far studies have suggested that green tea could potentially help ward off: bladder cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, prostate cancer, skin cancer and stomach cancer. Catechins are also anti-bacterial and anti-viral, which makes them a natural treatment for a variety of illnesses.
7. Natural Anti-Inflammatory. Inflammation is a response that happens whenever the body senses an outside threat. The body increases protein production to protect cells, which results in inflammation. In small doses it is beneficial, but if inflammation is frequent or constant it can have a negative impact on everything from the digestive track to joint health. Once again, green tea flavonoids are able to step in and alleviate the problem. A 2013 study concluded that regular green tea consumption can lower chronic inflammation.
With a wide variety of teas to choose from, you can improve your health with every sip from your cup of green tea. Enjoy it at least once every day.
Ashley Andrews blogs about health, lifestyle and personal wellness.
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