There’s nothing like drinking your favorite drink of choice first thing in the morning. But were you ever aware of the benefits that exist in that cup of yours?
We often drink tea or coffee without even considering what it might be doing to us behind the scenes.
Green tea is one of the healthiest beverages you could possibly drink. Whether you drink green tea for your daily dose of energy, as a calming treat for your busy day, or even just because you like the taste, you’re improving your health all the while.
The benefits of drinking this magical tea range from keeping your skin clear and radiant to helping your brain be the most efficient it can be on a daily basis. Drinking green tea consistently with a healthy diet and a workout routine that works for your body can lead to a plethora of health benefits.
Scroll through the gallery below to learn 10 reasons to drink a cup or more of green tea a day, and see the lasting effects it can have on your body.
Benefit #1: Keeps You Awake and Gives You Energy
Caffeine is the the key active ingredient in green tea.
Sure, green tea doesn’t contain as much caffeine as coffee does, but it has enough to keep you awake without the jumpy anxious effects that are commonly associated with drinking too much caffeine.
Drinking a couple of cups throughout your day will be sure to provide you with the jolt of energy you might need or be craving.
IQuitSugar recommends trying a matcha latte. The mixture of caffeine and the natural relaxant L-theanine can provide you with the consistent energy you desire without the "crash and burn" effect that is commonly associated with drinking coffee.
Benefit #2: Helps Boost Metabolic Rate And Burn Fat
Green tea is filled to the brim with antioxidants and catechins that may have the capability of turning up the knob on your metabolism.
According to NIH, studies show that green tea may affect the selective burning of fat. It is all, however, dependent on the individual.
Rick Hursel, of Maastricht University Medical Centre located in the Netherlands, published a review study that found that green tea may slightly increase one's metabolism.
He goes on to say in 2012, “We’ve shown that green tea is able to increase your energy expenditure — so the amount of calories you burn — and also to increase the amount of fat you are burning.”
Benefit #3: Can Kill Bacteria (Improving Dental Health)
Consuming green tea has been linked to improved dental health. Studies show that the catechins in green tea can kill bacteria and stop viruses, as well as even lower the chances of any prone infection.
According to ACS Publications, studies also show that the catechins found in green tea can stop the growth of the most harmful bacteria located in the mouth, known as Streptococcus mutans.
It is also said, according to ACS Publications, that the consumption of green tea can lessen bad breath.
Benefit #4: It's Filled With Antioxidants
Green tea is filled with tons of powerful antioxidants, which can help fight cancer cells. The antioxidants found in green tea can lead to a protective effect against oxidative damage.
According to NIH, multiple studies have shown that avid green tea drinkers are less likely to get different kinds of cancer than those who don't drink green tea at all.
Benefit #5: May Help Protect You Against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are the two most common neurodegenerative diseases in humans. Green tea can help protect your brain from decay and can keep your brain young and healthy.
According to NIH, multiple studies have shown that the catechins found in green tea can have protective effects on neurons and have a high probability of lowering the possibility of getting Alzheimer's or Parkinson’s.
Benefit #6: Improves Skin Complexion
Most of us are always in search of a way to improve our complexion due to blemishes, wrinkles or acne.
Green tea has high levels of antioxidant catechin polyphenols such as vitamins A and B. These help the body cleanse toxins, and can lower the risk of skin cancer.
According to Acneeinstein, drinking green tea can decrease hormonal activity, reduce acne, increase the detoxification process, and lessen any blemishes or inflammation you might have.
Benefit #7: Can Improve Brain Function
According to ScienceDirect, this magical drink contains caffeine and the amino acid L-theanine, which has the power to intersect the blood to brain barrier.
According to NIH, while caffeine alone can improve reaction time, improve your mood, and watchfulness, L-theanine helps generate neurotransmitters such as dopamine and GABA. GABA helps regulate anxiety while dopamine helps regulate emotion and movement. The combination of the two can increase your brain function.
Benefit #8: Stimulates Hair Growth
This wonderful drink can also stimulate hair follicles and help your hair grow faster; according to NIH, green tea has the ability to boost the production of hair.
It also has antiseptic properties that have the capacity to stop and eventually even cure dandruff, inflammation, and psoriasis. Pretty cool, huh?
Lots of panthenol, which is usually used in shampoos and conditioners, can be found in green tea as well. This strengthens your hair follicles and helps manage split ends.
Benefit #9: Delays Signs Of Skin Aging
Drinking green tea is known to improve your skin’s elasticity.
According to SFGate, a study that was published in an issue of the journal Collegium Anthropoogicum in September of 2010, green tea may delay signs of skin aging, expression lines and wrinkles, and any noticeable signs of skin damage.
Benefit #10: May Help You Live Longer
Yes, we all know that death is inevitable.
However, green tea drinkers have a much lower risk of cancer or any form of cardiovascular disease.
According to NIH, in a study done with over 40,500 Japanese men and women, those who drank five cups or more a day were much less likely to die within an 11-year period.
In this same study, the risk from heart disease and stroke were significantly less than the non-green-tea drinker.
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