4 Major Health Benefits of Drinking Green Tea
Loaded with powerful nutrients and antioxidants, Green tea is one of the healthiest beverages on Earth. Its positive effects include fat loss, improved brain function, a lower risk of cancer and many others.
Below we have listed down 5 health benefits of green tea.
Green Tea Increases Fat Burning and Improves Physical Performance
Most certainly green tea will be on the ingredients list for any fat burning supplement, thanks to its proven ability to boost the metabolic rate and increase fat burning.
Studies have shown that green tea increases fat oxidation by 17%. This indicates that green tea may selectively increase the burning of fat.
Green Tea Contains Bioactive Compounds That Improve Health
Green tea is not just a liquid. Many plant compounds in the tea leaves contain large amounts of important nutrients. Tea is rich in polyphenols. Polyphenols have effects like helping to fight cancer and reducing inflammation. Green tea is about 30 percent polyphenols by weight. It includes large amounts of a catechin called EGCG. These are natural antioxidants that help prevent cell damage and also provide other benefits.
Compounds in Green Tea Can Improve Brain Function and Make You Smarter
If you think that green tea just keeps you awake, then think again. It can also make you smarter. Its key active ingredient – caffeine, is a known stimulant.
Although green tea doesn’t contain as much caffeine as coffee, it is enough to produce a response without causing the “jittery” effects associated with too much caffeine.
Caffeine blocks an inhibitory neurotransmitter called Adenosine in the brain. This actually increases the firing of neurons and the concentration of neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and dopamine.
Caffeine consistently leads to improvements in various aspects of brain function, including vigilance, improved mood, reaction time and memory.
Green Tea Can Protect Your Brain in Old Age, Lowering Your Risk of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s
Green tea not only improves the brain function in the short term but also protects your brain in old age.
Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease are the top most common neurodegenerative diseases. They kill of dopamine producing neurons in the brain and lead to dementia.
As per studies, the catechin compounds in green tea can have multiple protective effects on neurons in test tubes and animal models, showing the potential to lower the risk of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
