After water, green tea, which originated from China around 2,000 years ago, is the world’s second most popular beverage. The widespread consumption of this drink also led to multiple studies regarding its health benefits, including weight loss and physical performance, cancer prevention, and brain function. In the following, let’s discover ways that tea works and its content to offer these benefits of green tea for health.
Green Tea Increases Fat Burning and Improves Physical Performance
On weight loss, tea contains epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) that can speed up an otherwise slow metabolism. It also has caffeine, an ingredient in improving exercise performance and fat burning supplements.
In addition to these, tea has antioxidants, called catechins that can flood the bloodstream to stimulate fat loss for its ability to neutralize free radicals that cause cellular inflammation.
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In fat burning, tea also works by mobilizing the fat content from fat cells so that the body can use it as fuel instead of it being stored as fat in the midsection and other parts of the body.
And during exercise, green tea increases fat burning. Based on a study, men who consumed tea extract prior to a physical activity or exercise burned 17% more fat versus the other group that didn’t take it did.
Summing up, tea, based on many findings, can boost fat burning, lead to fat reduction and improve energy in the long-term. It also increases endurance, metabolism and antioxidant levels in the body for weight loss and increased athletic performance.
Green Tea Compounds Can Make You Smarter and Improve Brain Function
In addition to its weight loss and exercise benefits, did you know that green tea could also make you smarter for its ability to improve brain function and cognition?
It contains the stimulant caffeine, although not as high as in coffee that can cause jittery effects later. However, it is sufficient to lead into a reaction by blocking adenosine, an inhibitory neurotransmitter.
In the process, it stimulates the neurons and increases neurotransmitter concentrations, including the norepinephrine and dopamine, leading to brain function improvements, such as on the aspects of mood, memory, reaction time and vigilance.
Tea also has L-theanine that can cross the blood and brain barrier. This amino acid also stimulates inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA known for its anti-anxiety effects. It also works by increasing the brain’s alpha wave production and dopamine levels.
Both L-theanine and caffeine are valuable because of their synergistic effects to make you smarter, as they both improve brain function.
Antioxidants in Green Tea May Lower Your Risk of Some Types of Cancer
The antioxidants, particularly EGCG, ECG, EGC, and EC, are linked with their cancer-fighting properties. On the other hand, ECG and EGCG can scavenge free radicals, protecting the cells and preventing their DNA’s damage due to reactive oxygen species.
The polyphenols in tea also work by inducing apoptosis in animal and laboratory studies and inhibiting tumor cell proliferation.
In addition, teas have the ability to stimulate the activity of detoxification enzymes, such as quinone reductase and S-transferase, protecting the body against tumor development.
EGCG can also stop cancer cells from growing because it can lower cyclin D1, a protein that aids in the growth of cancer cells. This antioxidant can also block other enzymes that can aid tumor cell development. Without even saying, EGCG forces the cancer cells to stop growing permanently. Lastly, it gives cancer cells a hard time to develop because it can also increase cellular protein levels that stop cancer cells from growing.
Final Thoughts
If you want to reap these health benefits of herbal tea, including on cancer prevention, weight loss, athletic and exercise performance, and brain function, you might want to incorporate it into your diet starting today!
