Green tea is the healthiest beverage on the planet. It is loaded with antioxidants and nutrients that have powerful effects on the body.
This includes improved brain function, fat loss, a lower risk of cancer and
many other incredible benefits.
Here are health benefits of green tea that have been confirmed in human research studies.
1. Green Tea Contains Various Bioactive Compounds That Can Improve Health
Green tea is more than just green liquid.
Many of the bioactive compounds in the tea leaves do make it into the final drink, which contains large amounts of important nutrients. It is loaded with polyphenols like flavonoids and
catechins, which function as powerful
antioxidants.
These substances can reduce the formation of free radicals in the body, protecting cells and molecules from damage. These free radicals are
known to play a role in aging and all sorts of diseases.
One of the more powerful compounds in green tea is the antioxidant Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG), which has been studied to treat various
diseases and may be one of the main reasons green tea has such powerful medicinal properties.
Green tea also has small amounts of minerals that are important for health.
Try to choose a higher quality brand of green tea, because some of the lower quality brands can contain excessive levels of fluoride
2. Compounds in Green Tea 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 .
It doesn’t contain as much as coffee , but enough to produce a response without causing the “jittery” effects associated with too much caffeine.
What caffeine does in the brain is to block an inhibitory neurotransmitter called Adenosine. This way, it actually increases the firing of neurons
and the concentration of neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine.
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.
However… green tea contains more than just caffeine. It also has the amino acid L-theanine, which is able to cross the blood-brain barrier . L-theanine increases the activity of the inhibitory
neurotransmitter GABA, which has anti-anxiety effects. It also increases dopamine and the production of alpha waves in the brain.
Many people report having more stable energy and being much more productive when they drink green tea, compared to coffee.
3. Green Tea Increases Fat Burning
and Improves Physical Performance
If you look at the ingredients list for any fat burning supplement, chances are that green tea will be on there.
This is because green tea has been shown to increase fat burning and boost the metabolic rate, in human controlled trials.
Caffeine itself has also been shown to improve physical performance by mobilizing fatty acids from the fat tissues and making them available
for use as energy.
In two separate review studies, caffeine has been shown to increase physical performance by 11-12%, on average.
4. 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:
Breast cancer: A meta-analysis of
observational studies found that women
who drank the most green tea had a 22%
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: A study of 69,710 Chinese women found that green tea drinkers had a 57% lower risk of colorectal cancer.
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
5. 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.
