Considered by medical experts as the most healthy drink in the world, green tea is full of L-theanine, polyphenols and antioxidants and more, all of which affect the body positively in a wide range of ways. Some of these are increased immunity, weight loss (increase in burning of fat), improvement in your brain's function, reduced cancer risk, anti-aging and many more.
Included below are 8 of the most significant health benefits of drinking green tea, as proven by respected scientific studies.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Drinking real, fresh green tea, especially high quality green tea from Japan, compared to taking an extract or low quality powder as found in most dietary supplements, provides you with much higher levels of the beneficial ingredients as discussed in the 8 main health benefits covered below.
EGCG (Epigallocatechin Gallate) is a type of polyphenol and is a naturally occurring compound, with highest concentrations found in green tea. It has been scientifically studied and found to have a positive effect on your body's immune system.
Specifically, EGCG, which is part of a group of polyphenols known as "catechins" has been found to regulate your body's "T cells", which directly relate to an improvement in its immune function. The process is known as "epigenetic regulation"
TAKEAWAY:
Especially in times when viruses and infections are on the rise, drinking high quality green tea can help boost your immune system, warding off all kinds of viruses, flus and other immune-compromising illnesses.
Green tea extract is one of the most common supplements in weight loss products and there's a reason why. Simply put, this is due to scientific studies which show that it helps to raise your metabolic rate and furthermore boosts fat burning which results in weight loss.
Some clinical trials have shown:
- Fat oxidation (burning of fat) increased by up to 17%
- Caffeine in green tea found to boost physical performance via fatty acid mobilisation, thereby providing them as available for energy use
- Scientific studies found that caffeine may promote a rise in physical performance of up to 12%
Another study showed that green tea was found to improve expenditure of energy by up to 4%
TAKEAWAY:
Green tea can increase both your metabolic rate as well as the amount of fat burned. It can also help to improve your physical performance.
Green tea is not only a mild stimulant, it has also been shown to improve the function of your brain, helping to make you smarter and also reduce anxiety and stress.
Containing caffeine, but not as high levels as in coffee which can be too much, it is known to block certain bad neurotransmitters in the brain while at the same time boosting good neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine and dopamine.What caffeine does in the brain is to block an inhibitory neurotransmitter called Adenosine.
Thanks to a large number of scientific studies, we know that caffeine not only improves the function of your brain, it also boosts your memory, mood and also your reaction time.
It gets better! Not only does green tea contain caffeine, it also contains the well-researched amino acid known as L-theanine. L-theanine performs by crossing the blood-brain barrier, boosting the neurotransmitter GABA. GABA affects levels of serotonin, bringing about healthy calming and anti-anxiety effects. Dopamine is also increased by L-theanine bringing about an improvement in cognition and selective attention, thought to be related to the changes it causes in the activity of your brain's alpha waves.
Caffeine and L-Theanine - working together in harmony!
Scientific studies and clinical trials have shown that caffeine and L-theanine actually work even better together - this is known as a "synergistic effect" - which means that the improvements to your brain function and other beneficial effects are even more powerful.
The combined effect of the blood-brain crossing L-theanine and the lower amount of caffeine (compared to coffee) has been shown to produce an overall more balanced effect - in fact, a lot of people find they experience higher levels of productivity and stable amounts of energy when drinking green tea instead of coffee.
TAKEAWAY:
The lower yet therapeutic amount of caffeine in green tea compared to coffee, combined with the harmonious effect of L-theanine, brings about very beneficial health benefits for your brain including better performance, concentration, reduced anxiety and a more balanced mood.
REFERENCE: National University of Singapore: "Drinking tea improves brain health, study suggests." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 September 2019.
A leading cause of death, cancer is known to be caused by the out of control growth of cells in your body. It has been scientifically shown that cancer can develop due to oxidative damage and antioxidants more than likely have a preventative effect, in other words they can slow or stop cancerous cell growth. Polyphenols, also found in green teas, have also been found to have anti-cancer effects.
One of the best sources of antioxidants and polyphenols is green tea, so drinking it logically should help to reduce one's chances of getting cancer.
Scientific studies have shown:
- Breast cancer: the most common for women. Studies show those woman drinking the most green tea reduced their breast cancer risk by up to 30%
- The occurrence of prostate cancer (no. 1for men) can dramatically be reduced by green tea drinking by up to 48%, according to studies.
- Colorectal cancer. Green tea, according to a number of studies, has been shown to reduce the occurence of this type of cancer by up to 42%
TAKEAWAY:
A broad range of studies have shown that green tea drinkers, due to the antioxidant and polyphenol levels found in the beverage, are less likely to develop several cancer types.
The main super healthy bioactive ingredients are:
- Polyphenols (about 30% concentration) which can help to reduce inflammation as well as having anti-cancer effects
- Catechins including EGCG (Epigallocatechin Gallate) - these are a type of natural antioxidant and can assist in the prevention of cell damage amongst other health factors. EGCG is considered amongst the most powerful catechin components in green tea and has been featured in many studies for its properties which can help to treat a range of diseases. Catechins in general have been shown to have anti-aging qualities via their ability to reduce "free-radicals" in the body.
- Trace amounts of beneficial minerals, which are important for overall health. Especially found in higher quality Japanese green teas such as here at LUPICIA. Try to avoid lower quality brands which usually have small amounts of fluoride and other impurities.
TAKEAWAY:
Green tea is packed full of polyphenols and antioxidants, including EGCG catechins. Combined with beneficial minerals, these healthy components have been shown to have a positive effect on your health.
Benefits in brain health are not only found in the short term period but it has also been shown that as one ages, brain health can be maintained as well as protected due to the compounds in green tea known as catechins (see also 4 above). In other words, green tea may have an anti-aging effect.
What this means in real terms is that one can lower the risk of the two most common diseases associated with aging: Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. A large amount of studies have been found to support this.
Alzheimer's is associated with dementia, a neurodegenerative disorder associated with old age. And Parkinson's, also a neurodegenerative disorder is related to the reduction in neurons in the brain which produce dopamine. These disorders are becoming increasingly common in older aged people.
REFERENCE: National University of Singapore: "Drinking tea improves brain health, study suggests." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 September 2019.
TAKEAWAY:
Catechins, the bioactive ingredients found especially in high quality green tea, have been proven to have various beneficial effects on the brain, including for those entering old age. In particular, there are significant studies supporting the lowering of risk of both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
We've talked about catechins quite a lot already. It turns out that they have even more beneficial healthy effects!
According to studies, the catechins in green tea have been found to promote the inhibition of some viruses such as influenza as well as kill off bacteria (in the mouth and throat especially). Overall, this has the potential to reduce the risk of contracting an infection.
Regarding dental health, catechins have been shown in studies to reduce the growth of common harmful mouth bacteria, thereby reducing the amount of plaque, cavities and tooth decay.
A large number of clinical studies also prove that green tea helps with bad breath.
TAKEAWAY:
The growth of bacteria and selective viruses can be reduced or even stopped due to the catechins in green tea, resulting in less infections, better dental health and less bad breath.
Studies show that those who drink green tea regularly have a lower chance of early death of major causes such as cardiovascular (heart) disease, cancer and stroke.
In other words, drinking green tea is very likely to help you live longer!
In a major Japanese study, results showed that drinking five cups a day of green tea or more resulted in the following statistics:
- Cardiovascular (heart) disease resulting in death: Women - 31% lower, Men: 22% lower.
- Stroke resulting in death: Women - 42% lower, Men: 35% lower.
- Death from other causes, on average: Women - 22% lower, Men: 18% lower.
Another significant Japanese study based on elderly Japanese individuals demonstrated that, during a six year period of study, those drinking the highest amounts of green tea were 76% less likely to die.
TAKEAWAY:
Proven scientific studies demonstrate that the drinking of green tea is statistically proven to reduce the chance of early death, compared to those non-drinkers.
