6 Benefits of Green Tea Consumption

Green tea has been used as a standard drink in Asian countries for hundreds of years. It is often touted as helping to maintain youth and vitality. It has come to the attention of the Western world in recent years, and  more and more people are discovering its health benefits.*

Green tea is still grown and manufactured in Asia. It is cultivated, dried, pressed and processed from a variety of different trees. Some companies still do the work by hand.

Want to know why you may benefit from drinking it? Keep reading.

The appearance of green tea at three different stages (from left to right): the infused leaves, the dry leaves, and the liquor. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1. Antioxidant protection – Green tea contains a high concentration of antioxidant substances called polyphenols. These substances can retard some of the signs of aging. They also help neutralize free radical action in the body that can lead to cataracts, cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, joint problems and wrinkling.

2. Weight loss – Some studies have shown that green tea extract led to increased weight loss in study participants. It has been proposed that drinking a cup a day can help increase your metabolism so you burn more calories even at rest.

3. Dental health – Drinking green tea might be good for your body beginning with your mouth. It has been suspected that substances in green tea actually neutralize the bacteria in the mouth that can lead to tooth decay and dental plaques.

4. Disease prevention – Studies are being conducted that show promising results for those with Parkinson’s disease. Drinking green tea may be able to help prevent the condition. Green tea can help prevent the breakdown of nerve cells in the brain leading to a depletion of dopamine, a neurotransmitter responsible for movement in the body.

Green tea (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

5. Infection management – If it can work on the bacteria in the mouth, it can help in other areas of the body as well. Green tea has been shown to help reverse sepsis in laboratory mice. Drinking green tea may boost your immunity to fight off infections.

6. Heart disease – Regularly drinking green tea may help you control your risk of heart disease. It has been shown that substances in green tea help to reduce the levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) in the blood by blocking its oxidation. Not only that, but it also may help to improve levels of good cholesterol (HDL) and keep the arteries pliable and clear.

Are you looking for ways to improve your health? Green tea may be a healthy addition to your diet.

* This article is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be considered as medical advice.

Video - Why Green Tea Is Healthy

This short video explains some of the health benefits of green tea, and what makes it so good for you. Other types of tea have similar benefits, but green tea is less processed than many other teas (except for white tea), so it has less caffeine, but more antioxidants. (For more info, see Monday's post on the health benefits of green tea.)

Also, when it comes to caffeine, an interesting tidbit that isn't mentioned here is that green tea contains a compound that actually mitigates caffeine's effect on the brain, which is why you feel alert after drinking green tea, but usually not "wired" like you would feel after drinking coffee. This means you don't get the spike and "crash" like you would with coffee or other drinks that contain caffeine.

Green tea truly does work well with the body for most people, and offers many great benefits that are hard to find elsewhere. If you're a coffee addict, try switching one cup per day with green tea instead, and gradually you may be able to break your coffee addiction and replace it with a much healthier beverage.

Healing Quest: Nutrition Tip - Green Tea
www.healingquest.tv The health benefits of green tea are explored.