There are many benefits of green tea. The ancient Chinese knew several of these while a few have been established by recent research. Together, they make compelling reason to switch to green tea.
Green tea among other things:
- Lowers cholesterol & serum triglyceride levels and prevents their oxidation
- Slows arthritis by preventing inflammation
- Prevents the growth of cancer cells and kills existing cancerous cells
- Assists weight loss by increasing the metabolism rate and fat burning capacity of body
- Reduces the risk of colon, breast, and lung cancer
- Boosts the immune system
- Helps in the prevention of tooth decay.
Drinking green tea after having a good meal is considered a boon because green tea prevents excess cholesterol from entering the bloodstream. Green tea also retards the conversion of cholesterol into clogs. Besides this, EGCG in green tea retards the growth of cancer cells by binding to a specific enzyme, especially in case of prostate, breast, and lung cancers.
The consumption of green tea or its extracts by patients of pre-cancerous prostrate is also believed to retard the development of cancer. Green tea is also good for smokers. Research shows that smokers who consume green tea are much less likely to develop lung cancer than smokers who don't consume green tea.
Green tea, when taken before menopause, dulls breast cancer pain and also reduces the chances of recurrence. Women who drink green tea are 50% less likely to develop breast cancer. Green tea also provides chemicals that bind estrogen, which is then not free to stimulate breast cancer cells.
Those who have been struggling to drop extra pounds find the green tea supplement especially useful. The extract boosts the metabolism rate by as much as four.five%, and helps obese men and women to cut fat by releasing antioxidants in the bloodstream.
A few therapists even advice taking two capsules of green tea extract a day. According to them, the capsules are equivalent to 20 cups of green tea in terms of the health benefits. But they don't make your mornings as fresh as a steaming cup of green tea.