Why Drink 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.

 Green tea has antioxidants and poly-phenols the substances that give green tea its many benefits.

I like to drink green tea because of the taste. But I decided to look into it a bit deeper and see if I could find other benefits of drinking green tea.

I’ve talked about one benefit being that it increases our ability to produce Growth Hormone. Here are some other possible benefits that you may not have been aware of.

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.  So not only have you a lovely refreshing drink you could also lose weight.

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.   There has been work around the area of green tea working 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 drinker.

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.

     So what does that mean?

Those were some of the benefits but the reality is one cup of tea a day will not give you all the abundant gains. The jury is out on how many cups are necessary; some say as little as two cups a day while others five cups — and more still say you can drink up to ten cups a day.  But again if drinking green tea has these benefits why wouldn’t you drink it.  It isn’t a short term fix that you want. Your well-being is forever. If you want to lose weight, be healthy, you want it forever. It is a life style change you need. If you are thinking of going down this route, you may want to consider taking a green tea supplement instead (it would keep you out of the bathroom).  You can even add green tea as an ingredient into your cooking. Again you will get the benefits without having to disappear every two minutes to see a man about a dog!!! (The toilet for those who haven’t heard the expression)

Another thing to point out is that there is caffeine in green tea — so if you are sensitive to caffeine be careful if how much you drink, you know how you feel just be sensible. For the rest of us with all these abundant benefits…it’s a wonder we drink anything else.

I hope you found that interesting. If you have any questions at all on what I have talked about, definitely reach out to me in the comments of this post and I will get back to you!