There are numerous reasons and health benefits for green tea drinkers to keep consuming their favorite beverage. But what are they exactly? I’ll try to shed some light on this for you right here.
Green Tea Varieties
There is a wide variety of green tea on the market today. In order to reap the health benefits for green tea drinkers, you should become a little familiar with what is available today. Here are some
green tea varieties
:
- Dragon Well: Sometimes called Lung Ching or Long Jing,
Dragon Well Tea
leaves are long, flat and jade green and create a clear, pale green tea. - Gen Mai Cha This Japanese green tea is blended with toasted rice and popcorn kernels. You may have tasted
Genmai Cha Tea in sushi restaurants. The nutty flavour goes well with Japanese food in general.
Gunpowder: Sometimes called pearl tea (not to be confused with the tapioca bubble tea version). This type of Chinese tea is rolled into pellets. Pinhead gunpowder is made of young tips and buds and makes a pale green, grassy tea that is good by itself or with a meal.- Sencha: 70% of Japan’s tea export falls in this category.
Sencha Tea
is your typical Japanese green tea, which has a mix of freshly cut grass and sea aromas. - Gyokuro: Also called pearl dew.
Gyokuro Tea is a Japanese tea made with the top buds of the plant, so they are high in chlorophyll. The leaves are rolled into pine needle shapes. This tea is deep green and has a rich, sweet flavor. - Hyson: Also called Young Hyson. It was named after an East Indian merchant who first sold this type of tea to the British. This type of tea is grown in China and India. The leaves are yellow-green and provide a fuller taste.
- Matcha: This Japanese tea is made from the same leaves as Syokuro but instead of being rolled into shape, the leaves are dried and ground into a powder. The powder is whisked with boiling water into a frothy and sweet drink.
Health Benefits for Green Tea Drinkers
Recently, 12 green tea studies were pooled to analyze the incidence of heart attacks with green tea drinkers. Their conclusion? Green tea contains polyphenol that helps prevent the oxidation of cholesterol that leads to damaged artery surfaces, which can result in heart disease…
Well, there you go. Green tea is good for your arteries and therefore your heart.
The New Scientist magazine reported the results of numerous studies suggesting that green tea could protect against a range of cancers (i.e., lung, prostate and breast). The presence of the antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is the main cause of this protection, according to researchers at the Kyushu University in Japan.
Clinical trials conducted by the University of Geneva in Switzerland concluded that green tea can help you burn more calories throughout the day. Why is that?
Green tea has thermogenic properties and promotes fat oxidation. Some believe that green tea extract is also beneficial but if you can have the real deal, why wouldn’t you?
Japanese teas such as Gyokuro or Sencha are light and can be added to your breakfast regime.
A laboratory study involving green tea was conducted by the U.S. National Cancer Institute. The results showed inhibited cancer growth and fewer and smaller tumors in animals.
If something as easy as drinking a couple of cups of green tea every day can help, I’m up for it.
Health Benefits for Green Tea Drinkers’ Brains
Green tea is also good for your brain. Don’t take my word on it, but take John Foxe’s word. He is a professor of neuroscience, biology and psychology at City College of the City University of New York.
In September 2007, his human trial results indicated that tea affects the attention networks of the brain. A component of the tea plant called amino acid L-theanine gets absorbed by the small intestine and goes into the blood-brain barrier. From there, it affects the brain by giving you a calmer yet alert state of mind.
Are you or someone you know and love getting a little wiser and older? Help them remember things more clearly by offering them a couple of cups of green tea every day. The EGEC is also believe to help prevent cognitive impairment, as shown in a 2006 study between elderly Japanese people drinking tea and other beverages.
Tea drinkers had a 50% lower chance of having cognitive impairment… I like these odds…
Other Health Benefits for Green Tea Drinkers
Other study-proven health benefits for green tea drinkers include:
- Lower rate of cancer
- Lower cholesterol
- Better breath
- Weight loss
- General improvement in immune system
- And the list will continue to grow…
Learn more on health benefits of green tea and other types of tea. You can also find tasty comfort food recipes for great recipes to enjoy at home while sipping that delicious cup of tea.
