Green Tea

Green tea has been praised a lot for its many encompassing benefits. But are these benefits all they have cracked up to be? Is it the super drink it is often praised as? Let us take a look.

Rich in anti-oxidants

One of the most popular benefits you may have heard mentioned in the media surrounding tea in general revolves around the buzz word ‘antioxidants’

• Teas contain the natural chemical Polyphenol, which is antioxidant rich
• Green tea has the highest amount of Polyphenol out of all teas
• In particular, green tea is abundant in the Polyphenol called catechins

Potential Benefits of green tea and anti-oxidants

The list of claimed and suspected benefits from green tea is long, but scientists are hesitant to get behind them fully. Studies so far have been flawed so that results supporting benefits of green tea may be due to other factors. Some trials may have only included animals and some studies produce no evidence to support the benefits whatsoever. Because of this, I will relate to the "potential" benefits of green tea.

• The Polyphenol of green tea may reduce bad cholesterol which is responsible for the narrowing of arteries and heart disease
• Polyphenol may reduce the likelihood of blood clotting
• Studies indicate that green tea may protect against several types of cancer in men and woman. Studies suggest that antioxidants which green tea is abundant in eliminate free radicals which cause cancers
• There is the belief that green tea can help avoid or manage diabetes type 1 and 2 by stabilizing glucose levels
• Animal testing indicates that green tea may have positive effects on the degree or avoiding of liver damage

One of the biggest claims that green tea has sparked interest over is its weight loss benefits. People are always keen to discover new findings that will help them lose weight and green tea has been pushed and marketed strongly in this manner as a result.

But is green tea really conducive to weight loss?

The theory behind green tea and weight loss

Thermogenesis is the process of heating an organism, in this case, our body. Heating the body raises the metabolism and burns calories. Caffeine content contributes to thermogenesis, but the amount in green tea is lower then black tea and even less so then in coffee.

It is not the caffeine content alone in green tea that promotes thermogenesis; it is epigallocatechin gallate, an antioxidant most abundant in green tea and also in far smaller quantities in black tea. This means that the green tea has this thermogenesis effect on the body without the high caffeine content and associated rises in heart rate, making it safer for those sensitive to or in danger when subject to such fluctuations.

How much weight will green tea help you lose?

The short answer is, not much. The temperature increase will only result in a slight increase in metabolism, contributing to a small amount of weight loss and only in conjunction with more effective weight loss methods. Unfortunately, drinking green tea does not have the power to actually "dissolve" fat.

Along with a balanced diet and exercise, green tea will encourage the burning of calories to help you create your calorie deficit. Remember, you are also drinking an alternative drink to those with calories and other baddies, whilst keeping yourself hydrated. Not to mention the other ‘potential’ benefits of green tea.

Whether you like green tea or not, well that of course comes down to personal taste . The first few times I tried green tea I found it tasteless and maybe even a little on the bitter side. When I changed my diet however and developed a taste and became accustomed to food with far less sugar and baddies, green tea became more to my taste and I no longer desire coffee or black tea. In this way, green tea became a perfect low calorie addition to my much improved diet that has helped me shed the pounds.