Did you know that drinking green tea can help fight cancer and heart disease, lower cholesterol, burn fat, help prevent diabetes and stroke, improve memory, minimize the effects of Alzheimer’s, and help reduce inflammation? It’s hard to imagine one beverage can be attributed to so many health benefits, but the science is there. So grab yourself a nice cup of green tea and read about the health benefits:
Fight Cancer with Green Tea
According to a wide range of studies (the Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Columbia University Medical Center, University of California Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, etc..), regular consumption of green tea results in a lower risk of many cancers. These cancers range from throat, stomach, colon, pancreatic, lung, skin, and breast cancer.
These studies identify the polyphenols in green tea as the cancer fighting agent. More specifically, one compound—epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) appears to inhibit cancer cell growth and also trigger apoptosis, also known as programmed cell death.
Heart Disease, Cholesterol and Green Tea
Heart health is important for a long and healthy life. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Green tea helps promote a healthy cardiovascular system in a variety of ways.
According to a study in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation , drinking green tea rapidly improves the health of the delicate cells lining the blood vessels and helps lower the risk of heart disease.
A 2011 study found that green tea significantly lowered LDL or “bad” cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Another 2011 study found that people who drank the most green tea had a 28% lower risk of coronary artery disease than those who drank the least green tea.
Prevent stroke with Green Tea
The formation of abnormal blood clots (thrombosis) is the leading cause of heart attack and stroke, and green tea has been shown to inhibit abnormal blood clot formation as effectively as aspirin.
Hypertension and Green Tea
A major cause of hypertension (high blood pressure) is an enzyme secreted by the kidneys called angiotension- converting enzyme (ACE). Many hypertension drugs act as ACE inhibitors. Green tea is a natural ACE inhibitor, and several medical studies show lowered blood pressure in animals and humans given green tea extracts.
Lose Weight Drinking Green Tea
Green tea helps burn fat by increasing metabolic rate. A recent U.S. study of overweight men found that, with no other changes to their diet or exercise regimes, drinking green tea three times a day burned up 200 extra calories a day. The green tea drinkers also found that their energy levels were greatly increased.
Protect against Diabetes with Green Tea
Green tea can help protect against diabetes by inhibiting amylase, an enzyme that breaks starch down into simple sugars, which are then absorbed in the bloodstream. Green tea polyphenols inhibit amylase, thus lowering blood sugar levels. High blood levels of glucose and insulin predispose people to diabetes.
Arthritis and Green Tea
A recent study found that antioxidants in green tea may prevent or reduce the severity of symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Antioxidants in the tea inhibit the Cox-2 gene that triggers inflammation, working in much the same way as anti-inflammatory drugs.
Alzheimer’s and Green Tea
Alzheimer’s is caused when plaques, or misshapen clusters of proteins, interfere with the neurons of the brain. Researchers at the University of Michigan discovered that the EGCG in green tea prevented the aggregation of this plaque and even helped the plaque break down. EGCG has also been found to prevent against other forms of dementia.
Green tea and Immunity
Gargling with green tea boosts immunity to influenza and flu, according to a study in Japan.
Research at Harvard University also indicated that green tea chemicals stimulated gammadelta T-cells, which bolster immunity against bacteria and viruses.