By: Heidi Wagenbach
My go-to drink is water.
As soon as I wake up, I’m not the type of person who craves coffee in their morning routine. I occasionally have green tea (a lot less now than I used to while attending college), but avoid diet soda and energy drinks because of the chemicals and artificial flavors that leave a nasty aftertaste. With all the hype that green tea gets, I was wondering if it’s even true. So I did a little internet digging to see if this drink really has the superpowers health experts claim.
Keep reading to discover the history and facts about this beloved drink that gained popularity over the years!
Background
Green tea comes from the same plant that produces black tea: camellia sinensis. The difference is their processing methods. Green tea does not go through fermentation, and is dried/steamed at a high temperature instead to obtain that recognizable greenish yellow shade. Green tea originated in China (as opposed to Japan) and the legend goes as follows: Emperor Shen Nung accidentally discovered it in 2737 BC when tea leaves blew into his pot of hot water. Whether that’s true is up to you. Between the 3rd and 6th centuries, tea was considered a luxury, reserved for the privileged instead of customers at Starbucks.
Helps Fight Cancer and Inflammation
Green tea contains polyphenols which helps fight against inflammation and several types of cancer. There is a 20-30% lower risk of developing breast cancer and a 42% less likely chance of developing colorectal cancer when drinking GT.
Catechin (or epigallocatechin-3-gallate… try saying that ten times fast) prevents cell damage and provides other health benefits against disease. Lower quality brands may contain amounts of fluoride, but the benefits still outweigh the risks.
Brain Function
This drink helps boost brain function with the amount of caffeine present. While not as much as coffee, it’s enough to produce a response without causing the jittery side effects. Caffeine helps improve mood, vigilance, reaction time, and memory. Green tea also has an Amino acid (L-theanine), which increases the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, an anti-anxiety chemical. Green tea gives you a kick of dopamine too and assists production of alpha waves in the brain, thus improving productivity. Drinking tea assists the brain in preventing the development of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and dementia.
Helps Weight Loss And Skin
Green tea increases fat burning and kicks up metabolic rate. A study showed that when 10 healthy men added green tea extract to their diets, the number of calories burned was increased by 4% and their oxidation also increased by 17%. Obviously, this depends on the individual. Green tea can prevent type 2 diabetes, lowering the risk by 42%, as well as cardiovascular disease. With green tea’s antioxidant content, drinking a cup or two often will boost your immune system and keep your skin protected.
Overall… Green Tea Helps You Live Longer
There was a lengthy experimentation in Japan where 40,550 adults were studied over a process of 11 years. Those who drank the most green tea (5+ cups daily) were significantly less likely to die during that period. Older people (14,001) were 76% less likely to die in their own study of a 6 year period. Below, the results are shown:
- All causes: 23% lower in women, 12% lower in men
- Heart disease: 31% lower in women, 22% lower in men
- Stroke: 42% lower in women, 35% lower in men
★Bonus Facts About Green Tea’s Brother: Black Tea★
- Has antioxidant properties
- Boosts heart health
- Lowers “bad” LDL cholesterol
- Improves gut health
- Helps reduce blood pressure
- Reduces risk of stroke
- Lowers blood sugar levels
- Reduces risk of cancer
- Improves focus
Conclusion
Green (or black) tea is a tasty and healthy way to change up your hydration routine. Green tea ensures you get a boost of caffeine and some necessary vitamins and preventive properties to keep you living a good long life. So make a cup (preferably no more than 3-5 daily; it’s a nice change but remember to hydrate regularly with water too), stir in a bit of honey, and enjoy the chilly winter temperatures before they’re gone (I know we will in Arizona).
Sources:
Top 10 Green Tea Facts That’ll Surprise You! – History and Benefits
10 Evidence-Based Benefits of Green Tea
10 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Black Tea