Green Tea Health Benefits

Popular in Asia for more than 5,000 years, green tea is quickly becoming a health drink around the world. Green tea was first introduced to the west by Turkish traders in the 6th century. All green tea is made from the leaves of the Camellia sinesis plant. ¹

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Green tea's health benefits are said to come from its high levels of antioxidants. Research has shown that antioxidants help the body to remove damaging free radicals. Because of its caffeine, green tea should be avoided by infants and children. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should drink green tea in limited amounts. ¹

Drinking green tea is claimed to provide a wide variety of health benefits. However, many of these claims are clearly overstated, and it is not known whether taking green tea supplements provides the same benefits as drinking green tea. ⁶

Green tea is made from the same plant (Camellia sinensis), as other teas such as oolong and black teas, but the difference lies in the way it is prepared. Thi is where the Green Tea health benefits come from. In fact, very little processing is required to produce green tea. In most cases the leaves are dried immediately after harvesting or briefly treated with steam prior to drying. ¹⁴

Many claimed health benefits of green tea are based on studies known as "population studies." These studies compare the natural habits of large groups of people, often based on lifestyle or dietary factors. For instance, studies have shown that Japanese men who drink more green tea have lower cholesterol, compared to Japanese men who drink less green tea. While this may suggest that green tea may help lower cholesterol, it is important to understand that the results of such studies can be due to numerous other factors. For instance, perhaps the men who drank more green tea ate more healthy diets, and perhaps the green tea itself had no effect on cholesterol. While population studies are good for gaining clues about risk factors, they rarely clearly establish "cause and effect" relationships. ⁶

Green tea health benefits are myriad. Drinking green tea can help you lose weight, balance your blood sugar and has extraordinary antioxidant properties. ¹⁹

Green Tea health benefits are helpful in preventing and fighting a wide range of diseases and disorders. Of course the most publicized benefits revolve around anti-cancer activities, cardiovascular benefits and even the potential of lowering LDL cholesterol levels. ¹⁴

Green tea health benefits include lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Both human and animal studies have linked the consumption of green tea with lower total cholesterol, and higher HDL or "good" cholesterol. ³

About 1200 years ago in Japan, green tea was highly valued and treasured as precious medicine. With the advent of new harvesting and processing techniques, it soon became the country's most popular beverage. Today, Japanese green tea's health benefits are widely known. ⁷

Green tea health benefits are endless. Cancer, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes are just a few of the diseases that seem to be helped or defended against by this mild beverage. New studies are constantly reinforcing what the Chinese have known for centuries: drink your tea every day and live a longer, healthier life! ³

Green tea has long been believed to impart a number of health benefits to those who drink it. It has been said to help with everything from curing or preventing diseases (including cancer and AIDS), to burning fat, to reducing cholesterol and more. ¹⁷

One of the many Green Tea health benefits is that it is able to help protect the body against cancer. Green tea contains strong antioxidants that fight those toxins that lead to cancer before they start to attack the cells so helping to prevent cancer before it starts. ¹⁴

The polyphenols in Green Tea can also help to inhibit the growth of cancerous cells and so prevent the cancer from spreading. A publication in Herbs for Health cites a Japanese report stating that men who drank ten cups of green tea per day stayed cancer-free for three years longer than men who drank less than three cups a day. ¹⁴

Research shows that drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol. It does this by connecting with cholesterol, absorbing and blocking it. ¹⁴

Ginger tea is most often used as a cold remedy. Its benefits include boosting the immune system, soothing sore throats, and treating bouts of flu. Many swear by ginger's ability to improve digestion and help relieve nausea. ¹³