What Are the Benefits of Drinking Green Tea?

What Are the Benefits of Drinking Green Tea?

Tea is one of the most popular beverages worldwide with millions of people drinking a cup to start the day. There are three main types of tea – green, black and oolong. Green tea, in particular, has been known to have numerous health benefits for centuries. Many studies have been conducted on the health benefits of green tea consumption and its reported medicinal properties. Green tea is made from unfermented tea leaves and is therefore a very good source of catechins, which are very powerful antioxidants. Catechins are more powerful than antioxidant vitamins in preventing oxidative damage caused by free radicals present in the body. 

Green tea is known to help in controlling and treating a variety of health conditions.

• The presence of antioxidants helps in increasing levels of ‘good’ cholesterol (HDL) in the body and improving the functioning of arteries. Having green tea is also thought to largely reduce the risk of hypertension. It is also known to reduce other heart-related issues including congestive heart failure, atherosclerosis, and coronary artery disease.
• Green tea is known to improve memory and prevent the formation of plaques, the process associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
• Catechins, the antioxidants present in green tea, help to regulate blood sugar level in people with diabetes.
• One of the most popular benefits of this tea is its ability to improve metabolic rate so that people who drink green tea burn more fat than those who don't. This benefit when coupled with the ability to keep weight off after weight loss is one of the most attractive features of drinking green tea. Further, substituting green tea for another sugary drink help to prevent adding pounds.
• As the antioxidant benefits of catechins helps in keeping cells healthy, green tea is thought to help in keeping different types of cancer at bay. It is also thought to help in destroying cancer cells.
• Having a cup of green tea is one of the best ways to relax and reduce stress. The relaxing effect of green tea is due to the presence of the compound theanine.

In many countries where there is an established culture of drinking green tea, people drink up to three cups a day. Freshly brewed green tea is more effective in getting the most out of catechins. Decaffeinated and bottled varieties of green tea contain less of these antioxidants.