5 Health Benefits Of Green Tea
Green tea has gained lots of publicity in recent years and has been praised for its high concentration of antioxidants and its health boosting properties. It can be enjoyed hot or cold and even added to recipes. This article will highlight five of the top health benefits of drinking green tea.
Benefit 1 – Improved Brain Function
Drinking green tea promotes optimal brain function in numerous ways. First, the caffeine in green tea improves your concentration and allows you to focus better. It also boosts your memory and reaction times. Second, green tea contains an amino acid called L-Theanine which prevents anxiety and supports the production of alpha brain waves.
Benefit 2 – Increased Fat Burning
Another big benefit of drinking green tea regularly is that it blasts through body fat which means it can be used as an aid to help you achieve your weight loss goals. One study found that drinking green tea increased the rate at which the body burns fat by 4%.
Benefit 3 – Reduced Cancer Risk
One of the most well known benefits of green tea is its cancer fighting properties. The flavan-3-ols (also known as catechins or flavanols) it contains have been shown to protect against a range of cancers including breast cancer, bladder cancer, cervical cancer, prostate cancer and skin cancer.
In addition to this, the flavan-3-ols in green tea are all powerful antioxidants which protect your body against free radicals. Free radicals are dangerous substances that damage your body’s cells and vital organs and in doing this they also increase your cancer risk. By drinking green tea regularly, you neutralize these free radicals and lower your cancer risk.
Benefit 4 – Reduced Diabetes Risk
If you suffer from type 2 diabetes, drinking green tea regularly can lower your risk of developing this condition. It does this by increasing insulin sensitivity (a hormone that instructs your body’s cells to take glucose from the blood) and lowering your blood glucose levels. Low insulin sensitivity and high blood glucose levels are two of the main risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Therefore, by consuming green tea on a regular basis, you avoid these risk factors and protect yourself against type 2 diabetes.
Benefit 5 – Reduced Heart Disease Risk
One final health benefit green tea provides is that it strengthens your heart and protects against heart disease. It does this by lowering blood levels of LDL cholesterol (a type of cholesterol often referred to as ‘bad cholesterol’ that builds up in the artery walls, restricts blood flow and increases your heart disease risk) and lowering blood triglyceride levels (a type of fat found in the blood that is associated with an increased risk of heart disease).
Summary
If you want to enjoy optimal health, green tea needs to be part of your day. Simply drink two or more cups each day and unlock all the benefits it has to offer.
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