People have consumed green tea for centuries. Even today, tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world, after water. Unfortunately, many Americans started drinking this healthful beverage only in the late 20th century, when it became more widely available at grocery stores. Green tea, decaffeinated or not, has several health benefits.
Antioxidants
Whether caffeinated or decaffeinated, green tea arguably has more overall health benefits than any other tea. There are three main types of tea: green, oolong and black tea. Green tea has the highest concentration of antioxidants known as polyphenols. These powerful antioxidants scavenge free radical compounds that can tamper with your DNA, attack your cells, increase your risk of getting certain types of cancer and speed the aging process. Green tea is also thought to protect your body from environmental toxins from pollution, cigarette smoke and dangerous UV rays from the sun.
Cholesterol Control
Green tea can lower your LDL, or "bad," cholesterol and raise your HDL, or "good," cholesterol. Researchers believe that the polyphenols in green tea can block or slow the intestinal absorption of blood cholesterol, and even encourage your body to excrete excess cholesterol that can otherwise form clots in your arteries. Studies at Vanderbilt University confirm this, finding that green tea lowered LDL cholesterol by as much as 16 percent in 12 weeks. High cholesterol is one of the primary risk factors for heart disease. Green tea may be a healthful natural alternative to try before using cholesterol-lowering prescription statins.
Weight Loss
Decaffeinated green tea can help you lose weight, according to a study at the University of Chicago's Tang Center for Herbal Medicine Research. It was once thought that any weight loss from green tea was only the result of the caffeine content. However, it is now thought that catechins, a specific type of polyphenol, are responsible for green tea's fat-burning effect. A natural compound in green tea called epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, can suppress your appetite and regulate your blood glucose levels. Green tea can also increase your metabolism and help your body burn fat more readily. While green tea may help you lose weight or eat less, proper nutrition and an active healthful lifestyle are still mandatory for sustainable weight loss and improved body composition.
References
- University of Toledo: Researcher's Work on Green Tea Heating Up; Cynthia Nowak; 2010
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Green Tea
- Vanderbilt University: Green, Black Tea Extracts Found To Lower Cholesterol; 2003
- University of Chicago Medical Center: Green Tea Derivative Causes Loss of Appetite, Weight Loss in Rats
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