The Benefits Of Green Tea: How Green Tea Heals Your Body And Your Mind

The Benefits Of Green Tea: How Green Tea Heals Your Body And Your Mind
By Kurtis Bright

Going Green For Your Health: How A Five Thousand-Year-Old Beverage Can Help Heal Your Body

Green tea continues to amaze. For a humble plant that originated in China and was first used as a beverage thousands of years ago to continue making inroads in the west, turning up in grocery store tea and coffee aisles as well as the sweetened beverage aisle speaks to its unique powers.

And it is becoming better and better known. We’ve all had that one friend--you know the one--who touts green tea's benefits. They are perhaps not quite as annoying as a Crossfit enthusiast, but still.

Well, your trendy friend may well have a point.

The health benefits of green tea are truly amazing. The more we learn, the better green tea looks as a source of ensuring we keep our good health. Here are just a few:

• Bioactive compounds - Bioactive compounds that are contained in green tea can make a big difference healthwise. Polyphenols, flavonoids and catachins are all powerful antioxidants that are found in the beverage even after the tea has been steeped. These compounds reduce the occurrence of free radicals in the body, and help to protect cells from damage. Yet another compound found in green tea that is only just being more closely looked at is epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG, which has been used to treat various diseases.
• Improved brain function - We know that green tea contains caffeine, the same psychoactive compound found in coffee and other beverages, and which has been found to improve brain function, mood, reaction time and memory. However there are two distinct advantages to green tea's caffeine delivery over that of coffee: one, it doesn’t contain as much of it, and so is less likely to give you that nasty jittery feeling. Second,  green tea also contains the amino acid L-theatine, which is able to cross the blood-brain barrier, and which is thought to work synergistically with caffeine to improve brain function even more.
• Improved fat-burning capabilities and physical performance - Boost the metabolic rate is a proven benefit of green tea. It also increases the fat-burning potential of humans in clinical trials, which is why it is almost always an ingredient on fat-burning pills. Studies have shown that green tea increases energy expenditure by 4 percent, and that in people who drank green tea, fat oxidation was increased by 17 percent. Caffeine of course has been shown to mobilize fatty acids from fat tissues and make them available to be used as energy, so you get an extra benefit along with a great taste.

There can be no doubt, green tea is the right choice for energy and mental capability as well!

###