Green tea is more than just a liquid. In fact, it's the healthiest beverage on Earth! It's loaded with an abundance of nutrients that have extraordinary effects on the body. If you're not already drinking tea daily, you may want to consider doing so now. Here are the top 5 health benefits of green tea.
Contains Bioactive Compounds
Sounds scientific, but this is why there are so many health benefits of green tea. Green tea is loaded with polyphenol antioxidants, including a catechin called EGCG. Catechins are natural antioxidants that help prevent cell damage, certain cancers, and reduce inflammation. Not to mention, these substances can reduce the formation of free radicals in the body, which are known to play a role in aging and all sorts of diseases. The catechins in green tea also can kill bacteria, inhibit viruses, improve dental health, and lower your risk of infection. Is there anything green tea can't do?
Increases Brain Function
Green tea effects the brain positively in a numerous amount of ways. It contains caffeine, which is a known stimulant, but not as much as coffee. Therefore it will keep your brain awake and alert, without any jitters or negative effects. This amount of caffeine also leads to an improved mood, reaction to time, and memory. In addition, green tea contains L-theanine, an amino acid that increases dopamine and the production of alpha waves in the brain. The combination of the two has anti-anxiety effects, more stable energy, and increased productivity, which can make you smarter. Besides short-term brain function, green tea can protect your brain in old age, lowering your risk of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
Helps Weight Loss
Green tea can boost your metabolic rate in the short-term, which could help you lose weight. Specifically, it leads to decreased body fat in the abdominal area, which results in a decrease of body fat percentage, body weight, and waist circumference. Therefore in the long-run, green tea lowers your risk of obesity and even type 2 diabetes by reducing your blood sugar levels.
Improves Physical Performance
It's certain that green tea can increase fat burning and boost your metabolic rate. Nonetheless, the caffeine itself has also been shown to improve physical performance by mobilizing fatty acids from the fat tissues. By doing this, it's making them available for use as energy, which will increase your movements or workout by 12%.
Reduces Cardiovascular Disease
Studies show that green tea can improve some of the main risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, such as heart disease or stroke. This includes total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglyceride, while dramatically increasing the antioxidant capacity of the blood. Thus green tea protects the LDL particles from oxidation, which reduces heart diseases by 31%. Because of this, you can say that green tea could help you live longer.
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-Gina
