A cup or two of green tea a day? Hell no. I am a monster without my cup of steaming brewed coffee. Green tea with its bland, tasteless liquid? Boring!
But care to look at the other, healthier side of the story? Here’s the thing – that bland tasteless liquid is a reservoir of nutrients and antioxidants that work together to give big benefits to the body – in ways you could never imagine. Yes! there are innumerable health benefits of green tea.
The Quint got in touch with Dr Rupali Datta, Consultant Nutritionist-Chikitsa NMC to gain some perspective on the health benefits of green tea.
Green tea is one of the healthiest drinks. As a part of a healthy life style (no, it cannot work alone) it provides immense benefits to our bodies. Tea contains theanine, a natural relaxant, so a green tea break can be soothing for you.Dr Rupali Datta, Consultant Nutritionist, Chikitsa NMC
1. Green Tea = Dropping the Kilos
What got me tilting towards green tea was that green tea helps lose weight! Experts claim that green tea aids weight loss. Several studies have claimed that green tea leads to significant improvements in health, elevates metabolic rate and pushes weight loss because of its excellent concentration of flavonoids and catechins.
Case in point is a research conducted by researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences and published online in Molecular Nutrition Food Research in December 2013. Voluntary exercise combined with green-tea drinking helps shed excess weight, according to the research.
This, however, should not translate into gulping down oodles of green tea.
Dr Rupali Datta, Consultant Nutritionist, Chikitsa NMC adds:
Green tea does not melt the fat off, so you still need to eat healthy and exercise. It, however, is a great calorie free drink (no sugar or honey) to replace sugary drinks for cutting out the extra calories.
2. Reduces Risk of Infections
Tired of the seasonal flu? I was. Green tea to the rescue.
Studies have shown that catechins present in green tea curb bacteria and viruses, lowering the risk of infections. Not just that, but green tea is also considered effective in reducing bad breath “because of its disinfectant and deodorant activities,” according to another study. Healthy and smelling good? Sign me up!
3. Green Tea Lowers the Risk of Developing Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is one of the biggest causes of stress for people across ages. With our diet and lifestyle, young children are showing symptoms of pre-diabetes. But, controlled trials and medical studies have found that green tea can improve insulin sensitivity and regulate blood sugar levels. Yes, another health benefit of green tea. How many are there?
According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and based on the review of seven distinct trials:
Green tea had favorable effects, ie, decreased fasting glucose and Hb A1c concentrations.
4. Wonder Drink For Lowering Cholesterol & Blood Pressure
Yet another health benefit of green tea is that it reportedly leads to modest but significant reduction in bad cholesterol. Green tea also improves the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol.
Regular consumption of green tea is also known to reduce the risk of high blood pressure. This inadvertently leads to overall well being and lower risk of falling prey to obesity – can one let go off this health benefit of green tea?
The antioxidants, catechins, present in tea is what makes it so good. Green tea, being the least processed, has the highest content available. These may help in preventing cell damage. Green tea is also found to be helpful in improving blood flow and hence controlling blood pressure. Many studies have shown that it also lowers cholesterol.Dr Rupali Datta, Consultant Nutritionist, Chikitsa NMC
Dr Datta also suggests adding hot water to the tea leaves instead of boiling them to get the maximum catechins. She further says:
Add some lemon as Vitamin C assists in absorption of catechins, dairy is not the right choice with this. Freshly brewed tea is the best .
Need we say more?
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