Benefits of Green Tea

Water is extremely healthy, and hydration is crucial to your wellbeing. However, green tea may be the next best thing when you crave some flavor. Packed with antioxidants, green tea has been shown to contain a variety of health benefits and there are so many ways to enjoy it!

The History of Green Tea

Green tea comes from Camellia sinensis leaves and originates from China. Mentioned in a book written by Lu Yu in 600-900 AD during the Tang Dynasty it is the first known monograph about tea in the world. IN 1211, The Book or Tea or The Kissa Yojoki; written by a Zen priest names Elsai; discusses green tea and it’s form, preparation, and the beneficial effect on vital organs. Today, green tea is widely popular around the world. The U.S. alone imports nearly 7000 metric tons every year and growing.

Health Benefits of Green Tea

Antioxidant-Rich

Green tea contains loads of antioxidants, including epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a polyphenol that can rid the body of free radical metabolic byproducts known to damage cells. Green tea has an exceptionally large amount of EGCG – 6 times more than black tea. (1)

Heart Healthy

Research shows that those that drank larger quantities of green tea per day (approx. 5 or more) were also less likely to have hypertension or stroke. Clinical studies have also shown that green tea may help lower LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. EGCG has also been shown to help prevent plaque building up in the arteries – meaning less risk of cardiovascular diseases. ⁽²⁾

Burns Fat

You may have heard this before, but green tea improves your body’s ability to burn fat because of thermogenesis and fat oxidation. Studies found that consumption of green tea can influence fat oxidation during exercises and while at rest. In other words, it revs up your metabolism while you are active or at rest. ⁽³⁾

Eliminate Brain Fog and Increase Energy

Green tea contains caffeine, along with the amino acid, L-theanine, which can boost your energy, improve cognitive function, focus and alertness.

Reduce Anxiety

L-theanine is an amino acid found in green tea, it also exhibits anti-anxiety properties. L-theanine increases the dopamine levels in the brain and the same time decreases blood pressure. This creates a calming effect that relaxes the body and mind within approx. 40 minutes after consuming green tea. ⁽⁴⁾

Skin Protection

In a few studies, topical or oral extracts of EGCG from green tea helped reduce damage from UV-B radiation typical of sun exposure. It greatly reduced DNA damage and the number of sunburnt cells. EGCG did not appear to repair already damaged skin, but may be very helpful for preventing skin damage. ⁽⁵⁾

Bone Health

In various studies of postmenopausal women, regular green tea consumption may protect bone density and offer a modest reduction in the risk of fractures.⁽⁶⁾ Oxidative stress again appears to play a role. The theory is that oxidative stress accelerates the breakdown cycle of bone cells, and that antioxidants such as EGCG can slow down this process.

There is quite a bit of research going on in other areas of health as well. Green tea has also been found to have a positive effect on diabetes, contains anti-inflammatory properties, and potential anti-cancer properties. How it works in the body and how it may be taken to maximize the benefits continues to be a big area of research.

Tea or Supplements

The jury is still out on whether drinking green tea or taking concentrated extracts, pills, or powders has a bigger advantage. On the one hand, drinking green tea has hundreds of years of traditional use with a wide age range, and a lot of studies of populations to draw information from. On the other, extracts offer convenience, higher dosages, and standardized dosages that make it easier to control in clinical studies. So far, it looks like taking higher dose supplements can raise levels in the body faster, but whether or not it is more beneficial for any health condition is not proven.

In either case, the benefits that might come from green tea are from long term use, and so it is not a quick fix or a magic bullet. It is also not a substitute for a diet rich in fiber, fruits, and vegetables, which are loaded with a variety of other antioxidants with their own benefits.

Green tea can be consumed in many different forms including tea, supplement, herbal, liquid, and powdered. Drink it hot, add it to a smoothie or make green tea ice cream. However, you choose to enjoy it, you will reap the many health benefits it offers.

Whether you choose drinking green tea, taking a supplement, or a bit of both, be sure to pay attention to quality. Because the demand for green tea is steadily growing, some tea plantations rely on a high amount of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to increase production. In some cases, even harmful chemicals banned in the U.S., like DDT, are used. ⁽⁷⁾ In the end, the effect is both a negative to your health and the environment.

Luckily, many high-quality brands of both tea and supplements offer Certified Organic and even Fair Trade green teas, so you can make regular use of green tea a net positive for you and the planet. With as little as one cup a day of green tea, you can be adding an ounce of prevention to your routine.

References

1 Chenyu Chu, Jia Deng,1 Yi Man, and Yili Qu. Green Tea Extracts Epigallocatechin-3-gallate for Different Treatments. BioMed Research International Volume 2017, Article ID 5615647, 9 pages.

2 Wolfram, Swen. “Effects of green tea and EGCG on cardiovascular and metabolic health.” Journal of the American College of Nutrition 26, no. 4 (2007): 373S-388S.

3 Adrian B. Hodgson, Rebecca K. Randell, and Asker E. Jeukendrup*. The Effect of Green Tea Extract on Fat Oxidation at Rest and during Exercise: Evidence of Efficacy and Proposed Mechanisms. Adv Nutr. 2013 Mar; 4(2): 129–140. Published online 2013 Mar 6.

4 Juneja, Lekh Raj, Djong-Chi Chu, Tsutomu Okubo, Yukiko Nagato, and Hidehiko Yokogoshi. “L-theanine—a unique amino acid of green tea and its relaxation effect in humans.” Trends in Food Science & Technology 10, no. 6 (1999): 199-204.

5 Nagle, Dale. “Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate(EGCG):Chemical and Biomedical Perspectives”. Phytochemistry 2006 Sep 67(17)1849-1855.

6  Shen, Chwan Li. ‘Green Tea and Bone Metabolism’. Nutr. Res 2009 July;29(7): 437-456.

7 Gurusubramanian, G. ‘Pesticide Usage in tea ecosystem,their retrospects and alternative measures’. J. Environ Biol 2008 Nov; 29(6): 813-26