Millions of people around the world enjoy drinking green tea every day, and for good reason – it offers a wealth of amazing health benefits! Green tea is packed with antioxidants and polyphenols, which scavenge harmful toxins and pollutants from the body, reducing inflammation and helping to protect against cancer. Today, we’re going to talk about the main health benefits of green tea, and why you should start including it in your diet today!
What Is Green Tea?
Green tea is made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, which is native to China and India. Tea comes from the tea bush, which can be organically grown in several locations outside of India and China. Green tea, also known as ‘matcha’, is generally consumed either as a hot drink or by adding it to food and drinks. It has been used for thousands of years in China and Japan, but it only reached the Western world in recent years.
Green tea leaves are harvested in spring when the plant is still immature, and then processed to prevent oxidation. Green tea contains a number of healthy phytochemicals, including polyphenols, flavonoids and catechins.
One of the most important catechin in green tea is epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which has been demonstrated to possess powerful anti-aging properties. EGCG can also improve your skin health and help you achieve a radiant complexion.
Health Benefits of Green Tea
Weight Loss
Green tea has long been known to help with weight loss and as many people know, water is a great way to detox your body.
The catechins in green tea help activate fat-burning enzymes, and this property has shown to improve metabolic rate and decrease the amount of fat you store in your body. Green tea can also inhibit the production of fat-storage hormones, such as leptin and insulin, which stimulates appetite control.
Prevention of Heart Disease
Green tea has been shown to protect against heart disease by promoting optimal blood flow. Green tea contains high levels of antioxidants, which work to prevent or repair damage caused by free radicals, and lowering your risk of developing heart disease.
Adding green tea before your cardio or other healthy foods for strength training, it can also help improve your endurance and lower your blood pressure.
Cancer Protection
Green tea contains powerful anti-cancer properties, and it’s been demonstrated that green tea drinkers have a lower risk of developing certain types of cancer, such as breast cancer.
A compound found in green tea called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) has been shown to prevent cancer development. EGCG is a particularly beneficial compound, as it can stop cancer development by targeting multiple critical points in the cancer cells.
This may include stopping the proliferation of cancer cells, inhibiting harmful metabolic pathways, and causing apoptosis (programmed cell death) of the cells.
Healthy Skin
Green tea is great for your skin and will help it stay smooth and clear. Green tea contains anti-inflammatory agents, which reduce the production of pro-inflammatory molecules. These compounds can reverse damage to the skin caused by oxidative stress, and help you achieve a healthy complexion. Drinking green tea regularly can improve your skin’s elasticity – helping it look fuller, while also reducing fine lines and wrinkles.
May Help Prevent Cancer
The catechins in green tea help detox and protect the body from free radicals, which can lead to cancer development. In studies, green tea has been shown to inhibit the growth of cancer cells. It also reduces tumor formation by inhibiting angiogenesis (the blood supply). Green tea has also been shown to reduce oxidative stress caused by free radicals. This prevents damage to DNA.
May improve brain function
Many studies show that green tea can improve your memory and brain function, including improvement of attention and concentration. Green tea contains high levels of antioxidants, which work to increase the amount of oxygen in the body. This improves blood circulation in the brain – helping to stimulate nerve cells and improve brain function.
This increase in oxygen helps to reduce free radical formation, so it’s thought that drinking green tea may help prevent Alzheimers disease by increasing production of certain proteins needed for healthy brain function.
May help prevent type 2 diabetes
Catechins in green tea have been shown to decrease oxidative stress. This is due in part by promoting the production of insulin and glucose.
Diabetes is a disease that can cause changes to your blood sugar levels. Green tea may be able to reverse some of these effects by improving your insulin function.
How to Purchase Green Tea
There are many different types of green tea that you can purchase today. Green teas are sorted variously as single- or double-fermented teas. Be sure to purchase green tea that is made with 100% natural ingredients and free from artificial additives.
If you are looking for a great value green tea, try buying organic green tea. When purchasing organic green teas, be sure to check the ingredients. Avoid catechins and flavonoids present in other types of teas, such as matcha powder.
Conclusion
In conclusion, green tea is one of the most under-estimated yet powerful superfoods on the planet. If you are looking for an affordable way to reduce stress green tea is a great option.
So go ahead and start drinking your matcha now! It can be drank as a hot drink or in your favorite foods.
