Do you drink green tea? If you are trying to improve your health
or drop a few pounds, this ‘super-drink’ deserves your full attention.
Consumed for thousands of years, green tea has provided delicious
medicinal benefits – weight management, disease fighting, energy boosting and
stress reducing – to many cultures around the globe. Studies too show that the
components found in such a small little teabag can do wonders for your health.
If you look at the ingredients list for any fat burning supplement, chances are
that green tea will be on there too.
According to Delhi-based dietician Simrann Saini, green tea can
help you lose weight and lower your risk of becoming obese.
"Given that green tea can boost the metabolic rate in the
short term, it could help you lose weight," she says.
Here’s a list of some of green tea's 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.
"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," Kolkata-based fitness expert Souman
Bose told us. Several studies (including research at Penn State's College
of Agricultural Sciences) show that green tea leads to decreases in body fat,
especially in the abdominal area. One of these studies was a randomized
controlled trial in 240 men and women that went on for 12 weeks. In this study,
the green tea group had significant decreases in body fat percentage, body
weight, waist circumference and abdominal fat. However, some studies don’t show
statistically significant increases in weight loss with green tea, so this
needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Bottom Line: Some studies show that
green tea leads to increased weight loss. It is particularly effective at
reducing the dangerous abdominal fat.
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.
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.
Green tea can kill bacteria, which improves dental health and
lowers your risk of infection. The catechins in green tea have other biological
effects as well. Some studies (including a study recently published
in the Journal of Periodontology) show that they can kill bacteria and inhibit
viruses like the influenza virus, potentially lowering your risk of infections.
Streptococcus mutans is the primary harmful bacteria in the mouth. It causes
plaque formation and is a leading contributor to cavities and tooth decay.
Studies show that the catechins in green tea can inhibit the growth of
streptococcus mutans. Green tea consumption is associated with improved dental
health and a lower risk of caries. "Another awesome benefit of green tea,
multiple studies show that it can reduce bad breath," Saini says. So, the
catechins in green tea may inhibit the growth of bacteria and some viruses.
This can lower the risk of infections and lead to improvements in dental
health, a lower risk of caries and reduced bad breath.
Green tea reduces bad cholesterol in the blood and improves the
ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol.
Green tea is said to delay the deterioration caused by
Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Studies carried out on mice (in University of
Missouri) showed that green tea protected brain cells from dying and restored
damaged brain cells. According to Bose, green tea may protect your brain in old
age, lowering your 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, potentally lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s and
Parkinson’s. "The bioactive compounds in green tea can have various
protective effects on neurons and may reduce the risk of both Alzheimer’s and
Parkinson’s, the two most common neurodegenerative disorders," Dr Anuj
Kumar, a Delhi-based neurosurgeon tells us.
Compounds in green tea can improve brain function and make you
smarter. The key active ingredient is caffeine, which is a known stimulant. It
doesn’t contain as much as coffee, but enough to produce a response without
causing the 'jittery' effects associated with too much caffeine.
Regular consumption of green tea is thought to reduce the risk
of high blood pressure.
9 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.
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.
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.
Antioxidants in green tea may lower your risk of various types
of cancer. Cancer is caused by uncontrolled growth of cells. It is one of the
world’s leading causes of death. It is well known that oxidative damage
contributes to the development of cancer and that antioxidants can have a
protective effect. Green tea is an excellent source of powerful antioxidants,
so it makes perfect sense that it could reduce your risk of cancer, which it
appears to do: Be it breast , prostate cancer, colorectal cancer. According to
Kumar, green tea 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. It is important to keep in mind that it may be a bad idea
to put milk in your tea, because it can reduce the antioxidant value. Bottom
Line: Green tea has powerful antioxidants that may protect against cancer.
Multiple studies show that green tea drinkers have a lower risk of various
types of cancer.
