Green Tea Health Benefits:The tradition of drinking tea to maintain good health goes a long way back. In early Buddhist texts and Chinese manuals on healing herbs, Camellia sinensis (the tea plant) is consistently described as being a potent medicine for promoting good health and longevity, as well as keeping the mind alert and sharp and treating many ailments, from indigestion to the common cold. In our modern society, we are learning that there is quite a bit of scientific evidence to support many of these ancient claims.
Medical and health care professionals agree that drinking tea has many benefits and is a healthy addition to any diet. All types of tea, white, green, oolong and black, are beneficial, though research has shown that some types may contain higher levels of certain polyphenols than others. For example, green tea is higher in catechins than black tea, though black tea contains theaflavins that green tea does not, due to the higher oxidation. Ideally, one would try to consume a variety of teas to be able to reap the unique health benefits of each type.
Cardiovascular Disease
Several large studies have suggested that drinking green tea reduces the risk of stroke and coronary artery disease, although results are mixed. Green tea may further lower cholesterol, but it seems to have no effect on blood pressure. The FDA, therefore, has rejected a recent bid by green tea makers to allow tea labels to claim that green tea is heart-healthy.
Weight Loss
Believe it or not, but green tea also helps people lose weight by enhancing the rate of metabolism, thereby promoting a faster consumption of the fat storage of the body. Recently, green tea has replaced many other beverages in the western world as its helps in weight loss, and obesity is still a chronic problem in many places. Drink a cup or two of green tea every morning and you are bound to lose a few pounds of excess weight over a week or so
Cancer Relation
While not a stand-alone cure by any means, studies have shown green tea has the potential to fight many forms of cancer. One lab study done at the McGill University in Montreal found that the antioxidants in green tea could successfully shrink prostate tumors in mice. Another meta-analysis of data found that high green tea consumption could lower lung cancer risk by up to 18%.
Other studies done on Japanese populations found that increased Green Tea Health Benefits consumption could be correlated to lower recurrence of cancer relapse in women with breast cancer. Chinese studies have even shown a link between green tea consumption and lowered chances of stomach, pancreatic, esophageal, prostate and colorectal cancer. This is definitely an exciting to start for more research to come.
Detoxifying
Green tea is the best cure for particularly savage hangovers and fatigue caused by the consumption of alcoholic beverages and lack of sleep due to late night parties. Start your hangover with a large cup of green tea with lemon, and the hangover will quickly fade to a bad memory. Green tea health benefits with lemon juice is popular remedy to eliminate the exhausting effects of alcohol almost instantly
Anti-Aging
The free radicals created in the body are responsible for corroding the body in various ways, one of which we see as the signs of aging and the related symptoms. The main job of antioxidants is to neutralize the oxidants or free radicals present in the body and green tea is very rich in antioxidants. The Catechin Polyphenols present in green tea are hugely responsible for the antioxidizing effects, the most powerful among them being the Epigallocatechin Gallate. Therefore, regular consumption of green tea can effectively delay the signs and symptoms of aging.