How Green Tea Can Benefit Your Health

Anthropologists believe that people have been drinking, and enjoying the health benefits of green tea for thousands of years (try as much as 500,000)! While there are three different kinds of tea- black, oolong, and green; green tea has the most polyphenols, which are powerful antioxidants. Unlike black tea, green tea leaves are not fermented, leaving the highest amount of polyphenols (antioxidants) in any tea type. These antioxidants travel throughout the body killing free radicals, which are the nasty little buggers that damage your DNA and even cause cell death. How does this translate to your well-being? Read on to find out.

The health benefits of drinking green tea are numerous so I've broken them down in order to help you digest the information a little more easily. Mostly it takes at least two to three cups a day to have any measurable benefits, but drinking tea is a great way to relax at work, or at home. If you really hate the stuff, you can always try green tea capsule, which are simply ground green tea leaves in pill form.

Heart Disease and High Cholesterol

Recent large scale studies have shown that green tea may have a role in preventing heart disease. When tea makers asked the FDA for permission to label their teas as preventers of heart disease however they were turned down because the FDA said there was no real indicator that green tea could prevent heart disease. Nonetheless, the well-being of thousands of people measured over decades is enough proof for me! Green tea also helps lower bad "LDL" cholesterol and raise good "HDL" cholesterol. Scientists think that green tea helps block the absorption of harmful cholesterol and helps the body to excrete it.

Cancer

The studies on the health benefits of green tea in regards to cancer are numerous and wide spread.Some of the most promising research comes in the areas of breast and ovarian cancer. Women who drank green tea in the early stages of the disease had cancer that progressed much more slowly, and lived much longer with cancer than women who did not drink green tea. Many scientists also believe that green tea plays a powerful role in preventing cancer by eradicating free radicals.

Diabetes

Green tea can be especially useful to people with type 1 diabetes, even helping to delay the onset of the disease. For people who suffer actively from diabetes, green tea can help regulate glucose in the body, especially when the body does not produce enough insulin to do so on its own.

Weight Loss

For those of us who want to lose a moderate amount of weight, the health benefits of green tea are worth checking out. Between the caffeine and polyphenols green tea helps give energy and burn fat, giving the metabolism a nice boost.

 I personally love the taste of green tea, having grown up with it, and even go so far as to seek out treats like green tea ice cream. You may not be so enthusiastic, but that's okay. For green tea lovers the best bet is the giant Costco pack of tea, which I actually think has superior flavor to many green teas. Two to three cups a day is the minimum for most health benefits. For those who hate it, there are many varieties of green tea pills which go down easily. Here's to your health, and a hot cup of tea!