The health benefits of green tea is one of a very few natural remedies in which there is very little dispute to its effectiveness. In Asia, and especially China, green tea has been used for its medicinal benefits for centuries. In China there is even evidence that green tea has been used as a natural medicine as far back as 4000 years. Today, there is a lot of hard scientific evidence to support the long known health benefits of green tea.
Cancer Prevention
One of the benefits of green tea that has been focused on extensively in studies is its potent anti-cancer properties. One such study that was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in 1994 released strong evidence that drinking green tea can help protect us from cancer. The study looked at the diets of many men and women in China and found that those who drink the most green tea are 60% less likely to develop cancer of the esophagus. Other studies show that green tea can help protect us from other forms of cancer too, including cancer of the breasts, lungs and prostate.
Research undertaken at the University of Purdue discovered that a lot of the anti-cancer benefits of green tea can be attributed to the antioxidants that are found most abundantly in green tea – catechins. Catechins help to protect our cells form oxidative damage that can lead to cancer development.
Heart health Benefits of Green tea
Many studies show that drinking green tea is very beneficial to our heart and cardiovascular health. Catechins help to protect LDL Cholesterol from oxidative damage that can lead lead to the development of atherosclerosis and the formation of blood clots. This is important for heart health because atherosclerosis and blood clots are key risk factors that can lead to heart attacks.
Not just limited to protecting LDL cholesterol from oxidative damage, studies show that drinking green tea helps to lower blood levels of LDL cholesterol while raising HDL cholesterol levels. This is great for heart health because High HDL cholesterol blood levels are protective against heart disease, while the opposite is true for LDL cholesterol!
Weight Loss
Green tea weight loss is actually one of a very few natural forms of weight loss that is based in solid science. The amazing anti-cancer and heart protective catechins of green tea increase our metabolic rate and therefore helps the body burn more calories just by performing its basic functions. However, studies show that we would need to drink about 12 cups of green tea a day to achieve this effect. That’s a lot of tea! A great alternative is to take a quality green tea extract supplement that can provide the weight loss benefits of many cups of green tea.