There is no doubt that green tea is the healthiest beverage known to humankind. Perhaps, that answers the question “is green tea good for you?”
Don’t worry, we will talk about all of the various health benefits inferred by green tea so you can judge for yourself if green tea is something you want in your life.
Some of the Benefits of Green Tea
Green Tea Contains Health-inducing Bioactive Compounds
As you might have heard, green tea is more than just a refreshing cup of green liquid. Green tea leaves contain many different compounds such as catechins and flavonoids, which are powerful antioxidants.
These compounds can significantly reduce the formation of harmful elements known as free radicals. Thus, protecting us on a molecular as well as the cellular level.
The formations of free radicals are linked to a whole host of illness and ailments and green tea is an excellent way to defend ourselves from the ravages of free radicals.
Green Can Enhance Brain Functioning
Green tea does a lot more than just keep us awake. It can even make us smarter. The key ingredient in green tea is caffeine, a known stimulant.
However, it doesn’t contain nearly as much as coffee does, but it is enough to produce a response in our brain without giving us that jittery feeling associated with too much caffeine.
Caffeine is known to block certain inhibitory neurotransmitters, which increases the rate at which our neurons fire. Hence, improving the production of important neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and dopamine.
However, unlike coffee, green tea is more than just caffeine. It also has L-theanine, an amino acid, which is able to cross the blood-brain barrier. When combined with caffeine, it significantly improves our cognitive functioning.
It Can Improve Physical Performance and Enhance Fat Burning
If you’ve ever looked at the ingredients of a weight loss supplement, chances are you would have seen green tea listed in its ingredients. And there is a very good reason why.
Green tea has proven to increase resting metabolic rate during controlled trials in humans. According to one study, green tea consumption increased energy expenditure by four percent.
Green Tea Kills Bacteria and Lowers the Risk of Infections
The catechins found in green tea have other effects on the human body aside from being an antioxidant. According to a number of studies, green tea has shown to kill bacteria of certain strains and inhibit the growth of certain viruses such as the influenza virus. Hence, potentially lower the chances of an infection growing to the point of physiological symptoms.
Streptococcus mutans is a type of bacteria that is found in the mouth. These bacteria can cause plaque formation in our tooth and are considered as the leading contributor to tooth decay and cavities.
Hence, green tea can improve our dental health and also reduces instances of bad breath.
Green Tea Lowers the Risk of Type II Diabetes
Type II diabetes has become an epidemic to some extent. According to some estimates around 300 million people across the globe suffer from the disease. The ailment involves suffering from elevated blood sugar levels due to insulin resistance or the inability to naturally produce insulin.
According to a wealth of scientific research, green tea has proven to reduce blood sugar levels while at the same time improving insulin sensitivity. According to a large-scale review of seven studies involving over quarter million people, individuals who regularly drank green tea had an 18% lower chance of becoming a diabetic.
Green Tea Is Good for the Heart
No, if your heart was broken, green tea wouldn’t help you with that. It would, however, decrease the chances of suffering from heart disease and stroke, which are considered as the biggest causes of death in our modern society.
Studies have proven that green tea fights against the main factor responsible for these diseases. This includes total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL cholesterol.
Regularly drinking green tea can improve the blood’s ability to prevent LDL cholesterol from oxidation, which is one of the pathways towards cardiovascular disease.
Is Green Tea Good For You?
Is green tea good for you? Yes, green tea is surprisingly good for our health. It doesn’t offer just one or two health benefits. It offers a whole host of things that help us stay healthy.
The list of benefits we discussed above is far from an exhaustive list. It was just the benefits we could fit in one article.
