Green tea has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries to treat everything from headaches to depression. According to WebMD green tea is so good for you that it's even got some researchers raving. "It's the healthiest thing I can think of to drink," says Christopher Ochner, PhD. He's a research scientist in nutrition at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital.
Green tea’s biggest benefit? "It's all about the catechin content," says Beth Reardon, RD, a Boston nutritionist. Catechins are antioxidants that fight and may even prevent cell damage. Green tea is not processed much before it's poured in your cup, so it's rich in catechins. Green tea has been shown to improve blood flow and lower cholesterol. A 2013 review of many studies found green tea helped prevent a range of heart-related issues, from high blood pressure to congestive heart failure. In one Swiss study, MRIs revealed that people who drank green tea had greater activity in the working-memory area of their brains. Green tea has also been shown to help block the formation of plaques that are linked to Alzheimer's disease. Green tea seems to help keep blood sugar stable in people with diabetes. Because catechins lower cholesterol and blood pressure, they can help protect against the damage a high-fat diet can cause.
Studies on green tea’s impact on cancer have been mixed. But green tea is known to aid healthy cells in all stages of growth. There are some clues that green tea may help destroy cancer cells, but that research is still in its early stages. Sipping tea helps you slow down and relax, Reardon says. A natural chemical called theanine found in green tea can provide a calming effect.
But perhaps the biggest benefit, which you get right away, is just taking a tea break. Here’s how to make your next cup:
- Don't add green tea to boiling water. It's bad for catechins, those healthy chemicals, in the tea.
- Better: 160-170 degree water.
- Add lemon. Vitamin C makes the catechins a easier to absorb. Dairy, on the other hand, makes it harder to absorb them.
10 Proven Benefits of Green Tea
5 Reasons Your Body Wants You To Drink More Green Tea
University of Maryland Medical Center article