Teas are a fantastic drink. While most of us will reach for coffee when we need energy or other drinks to calm down, teas have a long list of health benefits in a single cup. Of course, we’re talking about natural teas here, not the sugar-stuffed iced teas you can get in the store. Out of all the teas available worldwide, we all know about the incredible health benefits of green tea.
Often touted as a memory-boosting and weight loss remedy, green tea has a number of incredible benefits for our health. The plant has been used as a remedy for millennia and is full of powerful nutrients and antioxidant compounds. Studies have found it has anti-inflammatory properties too, making it an all-round natural powerhouse that you should drink more often.
Health Benefits of Green Tea
It’s hard to write down all the positive effects of drinking green tea. Here’s an overview of those that have been proven in studies:
- Anti-inflammatory properties
- Antioxidant properties
- Fights headaches
- Great for weight loss
- May help in the treatment of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s
- Improves the health of our skin
- Promotes better sleep
- Increases stamina
- Improves digestion
- Prevents cardiovascular problems
- May help against arthritis
- Boosts our immune system
We can go on and on about the benefits of green tea in a full article that unrolls its positive effects. What most people use it for are improved cognitive function and weight loss as well.
How Green Tea Improves Cognitive Function
The common belief around the world is that green tea is nootropic, but it’s more than just that. It does a lot more than arousing our brains. It has just the right amount of caffeine to stimulate the brain without the other negative effects caused by energy drinks or coffee. On a biochemical level, it inhibits the action of adenosine, an important neurotransmitter that regulates the function of other biochemicals such as dopamine or norepinephrine. In that way, green tea will improve your focus and give your mental energy a boost.
Besides caffeine, green tea is rich in L-theanine, an amino acid that can cross the blood-brain barrier. It increases the activity of GABA, a compound with anxiolytic properties that controls the feelings of stress and can help with depression. On a whole, green tea can improve your cognitive function on several levels, resulting in much improved focus and better memory.
Weight Loss
While it’s not a magic wand that can help you lose weight right away, green tea has shown promising weight loss effects in studies. Scientists agree that these can be attributed to the presence of caffeine and calories which can boost our body’s fat-burning properties. On average, a cup of green tea per day can help us burn 100 additional calories.
While that doesn’t look like much, paired with regular exercise and a proper diet, it can make a big difference. It doesn’t mean that you should just drink 10 cups of green tea per day, as too much of it can have adverse effects on your health.
One thing is for sure. Drinking green tea every day has a myriad of health benefits. Instead of sticking to coffee or, god forbid, energy drinks, this is the warm drink to boost your energy levels, optimize your focus, and start losing weight the right way.
