Green Tea Benefits: The antioxidants in green tea may offer benefits, such as protecting your bone, brain, and heart health.
Green tea, a source of antioxidants and caffeine, has several possible benefits. Research has found that the health benefits of green tea may include alleviating anxiety and stress, enhancing memory, and reducing high blood pressure and cholesterol.
Green Tea Benefits, There are several types of green tea, including beverages, dietary supplements, and even topical ointments. Keep reading to learn about green tea’s possible benefits, risks, and tips for incorporating it into your diet.
1. Alleviates Anxiety And Stress
Green Tea Benefits, Tea contains an amino acid called L-theanine, which alleviates anxiety and stress, helping you relax. Green tea has one of the highest concentrations of L-theanine compared to black, oolong, and white tea.
Research has found that supplementing 200–400 milligrams of L-theanine daily helps reduce anxiety and stress. A study published in 2019 found that people who took 200 milligrams a day of L-theanine for four weeks had greater improvements in anxiety, depression, and sleep than those who took a placebo.
Green Tea Benefits, Of note: The amount of L-theanine used in the study is much more than that in a cup of green tea, which ranges from eight to 30 milligrams. Talk to a healthcare provider or pharmacist before starting supplements containing this amount of L-theanine.
2. Helps Protect Against Cognitive Decline
Green Tea Benefits, Some evidence suggests that drinking green tea helps protect against certain neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson‘s. Green tea has a high concentration of antioxidants, which may protect against cell damage that raises the risk of chronic illnesses.
Green Tea Benefits, Cognitive decline is one of the first noticeable symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and related forms of dementia. Cognitive decline involves frequent, worsening instances of confusion and memory loss.
3. Helps Support Bone Health
Green Tea Benefits, Green tea may lower your risk of osteoporosis, a bone disease that increases the risk of hip, spine, and wrist fractures. Postmenopausal people have the highest risk of osteoporosis. Some evidence suggests that the high concentration of antioxidants in green tea may enhance bone formation and protection against bone mass loss.
4. Improves Longevity
Green Tea Benefits, Drinking green tea may help support living a healthy, long life. Green tea is a source of polyphenols, or plant compounds that act as antioxidants.
Research has found that polyphenols have anti-aging effects, such as:
Decreasing inflammation
Green Tea Benefits, Minimizing oxidative stress, or cell damage caused by harmful substances that may increase the risk of disease:
Reducing signs of aging
5. Lowers Cholesterol
Green Tea Benefits, A review published in 2020 found that consuming green tea helps lower LDL (“bad”) and total cholesterol. Nearly two in five adults in the United States have high cholesterol levels, which raises the risk of heart attack and stroke.
6. May Enhance Memory
Green Tea Benefits, Research has found that the L-theanine content in green tea may improve memory. A study published in 2014 found that green tea extract improved working memory among 12 healthy volunteers.
Working memory is a type of short-term memory necessary for cognitive functions like:
Comprehension
Planning
Problem-solving
Reasoning
Green Tea Benefits, In the 2014 study, researchers gave the volunteers a milk-based drink that contained either 27.5 milligrams of green tea extract or a placebo. The volunteers then completed certain tasks while an MRI tracked their brain activity.
Green Tea Benefits, Those who consumed the green tea extract had improved working memory, brain connectivity—how well different areas of the brain work together—and task performance. The study used a small sample of patients, so the results are not definitive. More research is needed to understand how green tea impacts memory.
7. May Manage And Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
Green Tea Benefits, Green tea may manage and prevent type 2 diabetes. Some evidence suggests that the antioxidants in green tea may reduce insulin resistance.
Insulin resistance causes your cells to be less receptive to insulin than usual. Insulin is a hormone that helps your cells convert sugar into energy. Insulin resistance is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes.
8. Might Lower Stroke Risk
Green Tea Benefits, Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability among adults in the United States.19 Research has found that drinking green tea may be one way to help prevent your risk of stroke.
Green Tea Benefits, A study published in 2023 found that consuming moderate amounts of green tea, or about 17–34 ounces, daily may reduce your stroke risk by at least 21%. It’s unclear why green tea lowers stroke risk. Some experts suspect that the lifestyle habits of green tea drinkers, such as eating a balanced diet, may influence stroke risk.
9. Might Support Weight Loss
Green Tea Benefits, Some evidence suggests that green tea may help you lose weight. Green tea is a source of catechins, an antioxidant that helps break down fat.22 Catechins may increase your metabolic rate, which helps you burn more calories, such as while exercising.
Most available research has only looked at green tea extract rather than steeped tea. Even so, green tea extract may have minimal effects on weight loss. Experts advise eating a balanced diet and regularly exercising to help you lose weight. Excess weight may increase your risk of chronic illnesses like heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
10. Reduces Blood Pressure
Green Tea Benefits, Green tea may protect heart health by lowering blood pressure. Research has found that drinking green tea reduces blood pressure significantly, particularly in people with a high risk of heart disease.
High blood pressure is one of the leading causes of heart disease and stroke because it damages the lining of the arteries, which increases the risk of plaque buildup. As a result, the arteries narrow, restricting blood flow to the heart and brain.
Green Tea Benefits, Research has found that green tea may lower blood pressure due to its high antioxidant content. Those antioxidants help decrease inflammation and dilate your blood vessels, which supports healthy blood flow.
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