One of the healthiest beverages native to China and India is Matcha Green tea. It consists of quite an impressive amount of antioxidants and nutrients. These nutritional benefits of drinking matcha green tea are increasingly being recognized by people all over the world. From improving brain function to lowering the risk of cancer, there are several big and small health benefits of matcha green tea, which has made it a globally popular beverage.
Nutritional Value
| Total Fat 0g | 0% |
| Sodium 0mg | 0% |
| Potassium 15mg | 0% |
| Total Carbohydrate 0g | 0% |
Benefits of drinking Matcha Green Tea every day
Weight loss: The amalgamation of caffeine and antioxidants such as catechins have an impressive effect on overall body weight. This is exactly what an unsweetened green tea offers.
Green tea without sugar is a zero-calorie beverage. The nutritional composition of green tea generally includes 20 to 45% of caffeine and 60 to 80% of antioxidants, called catechins. Together, these two have shown to reduce the BMI(body mass index) in overweight children as well as adults. The combined effect of caffeine and Catechins is a lot more significant in stimulating cells to burn fat. Research suggests that they work better in each other’s presence, multiplying the impact.
So among many benefits of green tea, weight loss is a crucial one.
Reduces risk of Cancers: There is sufficient evidence underlining the contribution of tea, especially of green tea, in reducing the risk of cancers. In particular, the risk of endometrial or uterus cancer, as well as, breast cancer is considerably lowered with regular consumption of green tea. This one of the primary green tea benefits for women.
The various antioxidants present in green tea are capable of effective suppression of certain tumor cells. These anti-oxidants, also efficiently manage some specific hormonal imbalances, such as excess estrogen, which is one of the major reasons behind endometrial cancer in women.
Better brain function: After consuming a cup of green tea, you are likely to experience a sense of alert calmness. Green tea induces this peculiar feeling because it contains caffeine, which alerts the mind but also contains an amino acid called L-theanine, which generates a calming effect. This contradictory combination optimizes brain function to elevate working memory and cognitive performance. Green tea can also successfully prevent oxidative stress, enabling strong defense against neurodegenerative diseases like- Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Healthier heart: There seems a strong inverse correlation between higher consumption of green tea and lower cholesterol levels. There is a noticeable decline in low-density lipoprotein, which is also known as bad cholesterol. By reducing total cholesterol, “bad” LDL, blood pressure, and triglycerides, or blood fats, green tea quite effectively manages to keep your heart healthy.
A higher intake of green tea results in a decline in blood clotting which lowers the risk of stroke and heart attacks. In addition to that, studies have shown that regularly drinking 120 to 599ml of green tea, lowers the risk of developing high blood pressure. Early clinical research implies that consuming green tea, 3 times a day, for over 4 weeks, can reduce blood pressure in people who are suffering from high blood pressure.
Enhance Dental Health
Apart from the aforementioned benefits of Catechins, they have other biological effects that get manifested with the consumption of green tea.
Some studies report that anti-oxidants such as catechins are capable of eliminating bacteria and infiltrating the influenza virus, lowering the possibility of infection.
It also has been reported that catechins in green tea can restrict the growth of the harmful bacteria known as streptococcus mutans, which is primarily responsible for plaque formation, cavities, bad breath, and tooth decay. Thus, regular consumption of green tea gets attributed to enhanced dental health and a reduced risk of caries.
Anti-aging benefits: The presence of polyphenols adds immensely to the overall nutritional value of green tea. It is primarily due to the great skincare benefits of polyphenols. It protects against the harmful effects of ultra-violet rays of the sun, which is related to problems such as wrinkles, skin cancers, and dark spots. Also, its anti-inflammatory benefits keep the skin clear and glowing for long. Therefore, daily consumption of green tea should be an integral part of your skincare routine. A certain study also reported on the effectiveness of the topical application of green tea to alleviate skin conditions like acne and rosacea.
Aids bone density: Apart from the several aforementioned benefits of anti-oxidants, they have also shown to deliver protection against bone loss and decreasing the risk of fracture. Moderate intake of green tea elevates bone strength, which is beneficial for bone health. The relationship between polyphenol-rich foods, including green tea, and osteoporosis, was recently studied. They derived the conclusion that
phenols positively impact bone mineral density. They do so by preventing oxidation-induced damage to bone cells, and also by reducing inflammation, which assists in bone building.
Balances blood sugar and prevent diabetes
There have been some studies focusing on the connection between blood sugar control, insulin sensitivity and green tea. There have been some positive outcomes. For instance, green tea can effectively reduce the fasting blood sugar levels, along with the values for A1C, which is a measure of average blood sugar over the previous three months.
In a different study involving 14000 Japanese adults over five years, revealed fascinating outcomes. It was found that the higher was the intake of green tea, the lower was the risk of developing diabetes, even after adjusting the data for age, sex, body mass index, and other risk factors. To put it simply, the prevention of diabetes is another addition to the long list of advantages of green tea.
Side effects of green tea
There are little to no side effects according to the common knowledge of green tea. However, in certain scenarios, like people with caffeine sensitivity should avoid its consumption. The same goes for people who are currently taking blood thinners. They are cautioned against drinking green tea, as green tea also reduces blood clotting. Also, pregnant and breastfeeding women, those in particular, who are suffering from some kind of other health problems, must avoid green tea.
These are some of the many benefits of drinking green tea. However, you must keep in mind that just consuming one cup of tea per day, may not be sufficient. It will not abundantly replenish you with all these advantages. But there is not much consensus on what should be the optimum amount of intake. So you should try to fit at least 2 to 3 green teas in your schedule to maximize these benefits.