I enjoy drinking
green tea. Not for the love of the taste — no way! I drink it because I’m told
it’s good for me…or, to be honest, the real reason I drink it is because I
believe it help keeps my weight in check. But recently I decided to look into
it a bit deeper and see what are all these other benefits of green tea people
talk of.
Why Green Tea?
Green tea has been
used as a medicine for thousands of years, originating in China but widely used
throughout Asia this beverage has a multitude of uses from lowering blood
pressure to preventing cancer. The reason that green tea has more health
benefits attached to it than black tea is (apparently) due to the processing.
Black tea is processed in a way that allows for fermentation whereas green
tea’s processing avoids the fermentation process. As a result, green tea
retains maximum amount of antioxidants and poly-phenols the substances that
give green tea its many benefits.
Here’s a list of
some of its amazing benefits — benefits that you may not have been aware of.
Some of these benefits are still being debated, so please do your own research
if you want to use green tea for medicinal purposes.
1. Weight Loss. Green tea increases the metabolism.
The polyphenol found in green tea works to intensify levels of fat oxidation
and the rate at which your body turns food into calories. A superb fat fighter. Its
active ingredient, EGCG, increases the rate at which fat is burned in your body.
It targets belly fat. Research at Tufts University indicates that
EGCG in green tea, like other catechins, activate fat-burning genes in the
abdomen to speed weight loss by 77 percent.
2. Diabetes. Green tea apparently helps regulate
glucose levels slowing the rise of blood sugar after eating. This can prevent
high insulin spikes and resulting fat storage.
3. Heart Disease. Scientists think, green tea works on
the lining of blood vessels, helping keep them stay relaxed and better able to
withstand changes in blood pressure. It may also protect against the formation
of clots, which are the primary cause of heart attacks.
4. Esophageal Cancer. It can reduce the risk of esophageal
cancer, but it is also widely thought to kill cancer cells in general without
damaging the healthy tissue around them.
5. Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. It is said to delay the deterioration
caused by Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Studies carried out on mice showed that
green tea protected brain cells from dying and restored damaged brain cells.
6. Tooth Decay. Studies suggests that the
chemical antioxidant “catechin” in tea can destroy bacteria and viruses that
cause throat infections, dental caries and other dental conditions
7. Blood Pressure. Regular consumption of green
tea is thought to reduce the risk of high blood pressure.
8. Depression. Theanine is an amino acid naturally
found in tea leaves. It is this substance that is thought to provide a relaxing
and tranquilizing effect and be a great benefit to tea drinkers.
9. Anti-viral and Anti-bacterial. Tea catechins are strong
antibacterial and antiviral agents which make them effective for treating
everything from influenza to cancer. In some studies green tea has been shown
to inhibit the spread of many diseases.
10. Skincare. Green tea can apparently also help
with wrinkles and the signs of aging, This is because of their antioxidant and
anti-inflammatory activities. Both animal and human studies have demonstrated
that green tea applied topically can reduce sun damage.
11. . It tastes good. If you’re
not wild about the flavor, try a few different kinds. Try it iced or hot. Add
some of the natural herb stevia to sweeten it if you want a sweeter drink. I
wasn’t crazy about green tea the first few times I tried it, but now I love it
with a fresh squeeze of lemon and a few drops of stevia over ice–et voila!
Green tea lemonade. Mmmmm.
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