15 Amazing Health Benefits of Green Tea
Wish there was a way to protect your heart, brain, bones and eyes while simultaneously improving your mood, stamina, skin and waistline? Well, green tea might make that wish come true!
While only gaining mainstream popularity in the Western world in the last two decades, green tea has actually been enjoyed for thousands of years in China, and other parts of Asia, as a healing drink.
Even though it’s made from the same plant as regular black tea, it is the way the leaves are processed that gives the green variety its medicinal edge.
The fact that it is exposed to minimal oxygen after harvesting means that green tea is rich in catechins (some of the most powerful and beneficial antioxidants around) most notably epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which is a potent destroyer of free-radicals in the body.
These free radicals contribute to many different diseases, as well as the aging process, so it makes sense that such an antioxidant-rich infusion would boast so many incredible health benefits.
I decided to take a deeper look at some of the research on green tea and see if it lives up to the hype. What I found were some seriously convincing studies and impressive results.
Read on to find out just some of the reasons why you should be adding green tea to your daily diet:
Help Prevent Cancer
Many studies have looked at green tea as a means of lowering the risk of different types of cancers including those of the colon, liver, breast, bladder, stomach, prostate and pancreas.While more studies are needed, right now there are some very promising results:
- A study of almost 70,000 women suggests that regular consumption of green tea can reduce colorectal cancer by 57%.
- Green tea may be associated with a 48% decrease in the risk of advanced prostate cancer, based on a study of almost 50,000 men over a period of 11 to 14 years.
- Penn State food scientists have just this year discovered that a compound in green tea may help destroy oral cancer
- The esteemed Mayo Clinic has stated that a green tea extract has shown promise in treating chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
- Over a nine year period, over 8,500 Japanese people were studied in relation to cancer risk and consumption of green tea, and it was found that drinking green tea significantly reduced incidences of cancer, especially among females drinking more than 10 cups a day.
What’s more, if you add citrus juice to your green tea your body can reap even more of the tea’s antioxidant effects, as citrus makes the catechins easier to absorb.
Reading this, I can’t think of a better way to start the day than with a cup of this healthy brew served with a lemon wedge.
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