Benefits of green tea
Proponents of green tea point out that its medicinal benefits have been described for more than 1,000 years. The Kissa Yojoki, or Book of Tea, written by the Zen priest Eisai in 1191, describes how drinking green tea can have a positive effect on the five vital organs, especially the heart.
The book discusses the medicinal qualities of tea, including alleviating the effects of alcohol, acting as a stimulant, curing stains, quenching thirst, eliminating indigestion, curing beriberi disease, preventing fatigue, and improving urinary and brain function.
The first part also explains the shapes of tea plants, tea flowers, and tea leaves and covers how to grow tea plants and process tea leaves. In the second part, the book discusses the specific dosage and method required for individual physical ailments.
A 2006 study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that elderly Japanese who drank more than 2 cups of green tea daily had a 50 percent lower chance of cognitive decline than those who drank less or consumed other proven beverages . The reason is believed to be the high amount of catechins found in green tea.
In May 2006, researchers at Yale University School of Medicine weighed in on the issue with a review article that analyzed more than 100 studies on the health benefits of green tea. They pointed to what they called an “Asian paradox,” which refers to lower rates of heart disease and cancer in Asia despite high rates of smoking. They theorized that the 1.2 liters of green tea consumed by many Asians each day provides high levels of polyphenols and other antioxidants. These compounds may work in several ways to improve cardiovascular health, including preventing blood platelets from sticking together and improving cholesterol levels, said the researchers, whose study appears in the May issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. Specifically, green tea might prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol (the “bad” kind), which, in turn, can reduce the buildup of plaque in the arteries, the researchers wrote.
Green tea has also been claimed to reduce stress and produce alpha waves. This is thought to be due to the high levels of antioxidants and the presence of l-theanine, which is a glutamate analog present in green tea that can cross the blood-brain barrier and reduce glutamate excitotoxicity during stress and ischemia.
Have you heard of people who are determined to lose weight with green tea? Various studies conducted on this topic continue to show that green tea helps a lot in reducing fat in your body. It increases the metabolism rate of your body and thus helps in burning excess calories. The substance present in green tea called Catechins activates fat burning and allows you to lose weight with green tea.