Top Health Benefits of Green Tea

Top Health Benefits of Green Tea

Improve Brain Function and Make You Smarter

Green tea does more than just keep you awake, it can also make you smarter.

The key active ingredient is caffeine, which is a known stimulant.

It doesn’t contain as much as coffee, but enough to produce a response without causing the “jittery” effects associated with too much caffeine.

What caffeine does in the brain is to block an inhibitory neurotransmitter called Adenosine. This way, it actually increases the firing of neurons and the concentration of neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine (3, 4).

Caffeine has been intensively studied before and consistently leads to improvements in various aspects of brain function, including improved mood, vigilance, reaction time and memory (5).

However… green tea contains more than just caffeine. It also has the amino acid L-theanine, which is able to cross the blood-brain barrier (6).

L-theanine increases the activity of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, which has anti-anxiety effects. It also increases dopamine and the production of alpha waves in the brain (7, 8, 9).

Studies show that caffeine and L-theanine can have synergistic effects. The combination of the two is particularly potent at improving brain function (10).

Because of the L-theanine and the smaller dose of caffeine, green tea can give you a much milder and different kind of “buzz” than coffee.

Many people report having more stable energy and being much more productive when they drink green tea, compared to coffee.

Bottom Line: Green tea contains less caffeine than coffee, but enough to produce an effect. It also contains the amino acid L-theanine, which can work synergistically with caffeine to improve brain function.

Fat Burning and Improves Physical Performance

If you look at the ingredients list for any fat burning supplement, chances are that green tea will be on there.

This is because green tea has been shown to increase fat burning and boost the metabolic rate, in human controlled trials (11, 12).

In one study in 10 healthy men, green tea increased energy expenditure by 4% (13).

Another study showed that fat oxidation was increased by 17%, indicating that green tea may selectively increase the burning of fat (14).

However, I’d like to point out that some studies on green tea don’t show any increase in metabolism, so the effects may depend on the individual (15).

Caffeine itself has also been shown to improve physical performance by mobilizing fatty acids from the fat tissues and making them available for use as energy (16, 17).

In two separate review studies, caffeine has been shown to increase physical performance by 11-12%, on average (18, 19).

Bottom Line: Green tea has been shown to boost the metabolic rate and increase fat burning in the short term, although not all studies agree.

Lowers Blood Sugar Levels

Green tea also helps keep blood sugar levels stable in people who suffer from diabetes. The compounds polyphenols and polysaccharides present in green tea can be useful for both types of diabetes.

Green tea can stimulate insulin production in the pancreas, regulate blood sugar levels and absorb glucose in those with Type 1 diabetes.

In Type 2 diabetes, green tea helps reduce the frequent blood sugar spikes that often lead to complications in the eyes, heart and kidneys. In fact, green tea is one of the best things that a diabetic person may include in his or her diet plan.

Reduces Cholesterol Levels

Green tea can also effectively reduce bad cholesterol in the blood and improve the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol.

Studies regarding the effect of green tea consumption on cholesterol levels suggest that it lowers the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the “bad” cholesterol.

At the same time, it helps raise the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), which is considered “good.”

There are certain compounds in green tea that help block the absorption of cholesterol in the digestive tract, while simultaneously aiding in its excretion.

Also, green tea keeps the arteries clean by preventing the oxidization of LDL, which can cause plaque buildup and increase the risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

Diabetes

Green tea apparently helps regulate glucose levels slowing the rise of blood sugar after eating. This can prevent high insulin spikes and resulting fat storage.

Esophageal Cancer

It can reduce the risk of esophageal cancer, but it is also widely thought to kill cancer cells in general without damaging the healthy tissue around them.

Tooth Decay

Studies suggests that the chemical antioxidant “catechin” in tea can destroy bacteria and viruses that cause throat infections, dental caries and other dental conditions

Boosts exercise endurance

According to scientists, antioxidants present in green tea extracts increase body’s ability to burn fat as fuel which accounts for improved muscle endurance. It also enhances energy levels and boosts your metabolism

Hydration benefits

If you love drinking green tea then there is good news for you.Contrary to common belief that tea dehydrates,green tea provides hydration benefits similar to water.Tea not only rehydrates as well as water does, it also has many other health benefits.

Anti- Ageing benefits

ntioxidants found in green tea fight free radicals thereby keeping a check on ageing and promoting longevity.Because it contains high levels of oligomeric proanthocyanidins one of the most powerful antioxidants, Green Tea is thought to help slow down the premature ageing process.