When we think of green tea, we imagine the spout of an oriental pot filling a glass with steaming liquid of a minty hue. A hand reaches for the glass. The hand is that of a young individual with a great physique. We tend to associate green tea with youthful, fit individuals. But why?
“Umm, it has antioxidants...?” This was the overwhelming response I received from twenty of my friends when I posed the question, "Why do people drink green tea?" When I asked them if they actually knew what antioxidants were, all of them responded with something along the lines of, “Well, they're good for you.” What I gleaned from this informal survey is that many people know that green tea is beneficial for one's health, but we are only superficially aware of its healing power. So, what is it really that makes green tea a miracle drink for human health and wellness?
First of all, let’s define “antioxidant." According to Nutrex Hawaii, antioxidants are substances that, “prohibit (and in some cases even prevent), the oxidation of other molecules in the body.” This means that antioxidants help remove free radicals from the bloodstream. Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that form through respiration of oxygen that can cause damage to the body if they are not properly regulated. In short, free radicals make us age, and can cause diseases, including cancer.
Now that we understand what antioxidants are, we can confidently say that green tea is a powerful drink. In fact, the liquid is loaded with flavonoids and catechins, polyphenols that act as antioxidants, which can eliminate free radicals. Green tea possesses remarkable medicinal properties, but that is not all that green tea has to offer.
In fact, green tea can help make you smarter. The liquid contains both a moderate amount of caffeine and the amino acid, L-theanine. Since caffeine can stimulate the brain and L-theanine has the ability to stimulate dopamine (the neurotransmitter linked to the feeling of happiness), and relieve anxiety, together the substances can help you think more clearly. Another incredible fact is green tea’ can help people lose weight, a side effect from which I have personally benefitted.
Green tea has the ability to boost your metabolism (the relative number of calories you burn in a given period of time), anywhere from 3-11%, meaning it can assist weight loss and lower the risk of obesity. Multiple studies have confirmed that the beverage can decrease body fat, especially in the abdomen. Last summer, I decided to test out green tea’s fat burning abilities for myself. For 8 weeks, I consumed four cups of green tea per day and lost 8 pounds!
Green tea is a miracle drink. It can do everything from neutralizing harmful free radicals that risk the health of our organ systems to stimulating our brains and helping us think. It can even decrease body fat. The beauty of green tea is that all it takes is a plop of a tea bag into hot water to experience the magic.