You’ve all heard it before – green tea is good for you! But do you know exactly why you ought to be drinking tons of this mild-flavored beverage? Some people just take in all the general information and jump into the bandwagon. If you like knowing what you’re getting into, however, you ought to take a look at the specific benefits that green tea can give you. Here are 14 – of many more – health benefits that green tea offers.
1. Green tea aids in developing better memory.
Who wouldn’t want to have better memory? As we age, our memories tend to deteriorate. Drinking several cups of green tea a day can help improve our memories. Along similar lines, green tea is said to help with the learning process. Even if you are a young person, drinking green tea can help you in this regard.
2. Green tea may contribute to a longer life.
Green tea has a lot of antioxidants which help in making us generally healthy. Barring all other factors, a healthy person will live a longer life than is usual. The trick is in drinking at least 5 cups of green tea everyday.
3. Green tea has fat burning properties.
Green tea has proven fat burning properties which aid largely in weight loss. More than hastening the burning of fat in the body, green tea also aids in weight loss by increasing the feeling of being full, making you less likely to over eat. Combined with enough physical activity, drinking green tea can be your most effective weapon for losing weight.
4. Green tea can help relieve stress.
Green tea has soothing and calming effects. This is due to a kind of amino acid found in the tea – L-theanine. Even if you do not know about this amino acid, merely drinking a cup of hot green tea will tell you that it is a great stress reliever!
5. Green tea helps protect your skin.
Again, it is the high antioxidant content of green tea that is to thank for this benefit. Green tea can protect your skin from the harmful effects of UV rays. It also improves the elastic tissues, which help in fighting the effects of aging.
6. Green tea helps lower blood pressure.
One reason for high blood pressure is angiotensin. What green tea does is repress this, making your blood pressure manageable.
7. Green tea helps protect you from the effects of smoking.
Smoking is such a dirty habit, but any smoker will tell you just how difficult it is to ditch the habit. If you can’t quit smoking just yet, perhaps drinking green tea can help just a bit. Smoking can cause many health problems including cancer. The antioxidants in green tea can help lessen the effects of smoking and help avoid the health issues.
8. Green tea supports your liver.
The liver could very well be one of the most stressed organs in our bodies. Green tea helps make the liver healthy. It also fights the effects that other substances and certain lifestyles can have on the liver. You do have to drink around 10 cups of green tea to enjoy this benefit, though.
9. Green tea makes for a healthier gastro-intestinal tract.
Green tea has anti-inflammatory effects. Many gastro-intestinal problems are due to inflammation. Drink more than 10 cups of green tea a day and your stomach problems might be reduced.
10. Green tea stops tooth decay.
Can’t go without your cup of coffee a day? How about the bad breath that comes with it? Why not go for more cups of green tea instead? Green tea has properties that destroy the bacteria that cause tooth decay and bad breath. Not only will you feel more relaxed, you’ll also have healthier teeth and fresher breath!
11. Green tea boosts your immune system.
Thanks to the polyphenols and flavenoids found in green tea, the human immune system is made much stronger. Drinking a lot of green tea everyday can contribute to a healthier immune system and your body can fight off infections more effectively.
12. Green tea lowers bad cholesterol levels.
Got cholesterol problems? Load up on green tea. Green tea has been shown to lower cholesterol levels. More than that, it has been shown to improve the ratio between good and bad cholesterol.
13. Green tea lowers blood sugar levels.
It is not only cholesterol levels that green tea can control. For those of you who are having blood sugar problems, green tea can help. By improving the metabolism of lipids and glucose, green tea prevents sudden increases in blood sugar levels. It also balances out metabolism.
14. Green tea improves bone density.
You might not have thought about it, but green tea contains a lot of fluoride. This helps in increasing bone mineral density. Studies have shown that long term green tea drinkers have higher bone mineral density. This means that green tea can help prevent osteoporosis and other problems related to bone loss.