You may have heard about the antioxidant properties of green tea and how it’s a healthy beverage for everyone – here’s a summary of the scientific evidence.
- Foremost, green tea contains catechins and polyphenols, antioxidants that prevent cell damage, fight cancer and reduce inflammation. Specifically, it lowers the risk of breast, prostate and colorectal cancers
- Its calorie free (unless you drink Japanese rice green tea and consume the rice) so a good alternative if you are used to juice, milky coffees or soda. Some studies even show green tea increasing metabolic rate, but the physiological mechanism is unclear
- It can help with insulin resistance, therefore play role in nutrition for those with diabetes
- It’s lower on caffeine than coffee, but still helps with lifting mood, memory, vigilance and reaction time
- It contains amino acids that promote activity of the neurotransmitter GABA, which helps with anxiety and relaxation. Some studies have shown green tea to be neuro-protective and reduce the risk of dementia, but larger sample sizes are required on proving this
- Green tea lowers total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein (so called “bad cholesterol”)
- In stroke or heart attack survivors, green tea reduces the risk of death by 62%
- It can improve skin flare-ups including psoriasis
- It has been shown to even improve bad breath (by reducing Strep bacteria)
- And in a large study with over a hundred thousand participants, regular green tea consumption is correlated with a longer, healthier and happier life. There is a 31% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, and 42% lower risk of death from stroke in regular green tea drinkers!
Incidentally, the Osana team loves shopping for authentic and flavoursome green tea in Sydney – here are our recommendations:
- The Tea Centre in Piccadilly Centre, CBD
- Quali-Tea in Strand Arcade, CBD
- The Tea Collective (online)
- Tea House at Crown
References:
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200109105508.htm
- https://www.eatthis.com/benefits-drinking-green-tea/
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-green-tea#_noHeaderPrefixedContent
- https://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12937-020-00557-5#:~:text=In%20general%2C%20green%20tea%20intake,with%20those%20in%20the%20control
- https://www.slashgear.com/study-finds-a-good-reason-for-heart-attack-survivors-to-drink-coffee-04658241/