Nutrition: 11 Great Reasons to Drink Green Tea

Nutrition - 11 Benefits of Green Tea

Chinese Proverb:

"It is better to drink green tea, than to take medicine"

According to French research, green tea is rich in catechin polyphenols (catechin is the bitter taste of the tea),an antioxidant which raises resting metabolism by 4-8% more than coffee or water.  Thus increasing the effectiveness of your workout regime when used as a pre-workout drink.

Another 10 benefits of green tea include:

1. Reduces risk of cancer, 25 times more antioxidant effect than Vitamin E;
2. Flavonoids in green tea lower blood cholesterol, reduces LDL (bad cholesterol counts);
3. Reduces high blood pressure, by reducing angiotensin;
4. Lowers blood sugar, with the polyphenols and polysaccharides in green tea lowering blood sugar;
5. Anti-ageing, it fights against free radicals which can cause cell and skin damage;
6. Promotes fat burning, so green tea can help with your weight loss goals;
7. Reduces inflammation - reducing the risk of rheumatoid arthritis;
8. Naturally high fluoride content in green tea helps to preserve bone density;
9. Theophylline in green tea relaxes the respiratory tract reducing the impact of asthma;
10. L-theanine an amino acid found in green tea, can also help to relieve stress and anxiety.

Sources: 

Effect of a thermogenic beverage on 24-hour energy metabolism in humans. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2007 Feb