How Green Tea Promotes a Healthy Lifestyle
How Green Tea Prevents Chronic Disease
Green Tea has been touted as one of the healthiest things on the planet, and with good reason. Its bioactive components have powerful chronic disease preventing capabilities.
How Green Tea Prevents Cancer
The most profound benefit associated with green tea is its ability to protect against cancer. Green tea contains a powerful compound called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is found almost exclusively in green tea and is believed to be green tea’s cancer fighting constituent part. (1)
- Tea consumption is linked to reduced risk of lung cancer. (2)
- Consumption does not need to be constant to have an effect, even just a few times a week can prove beneficial to health. Drinking green tea 3 times per week for at least 6 months reduced colorectal cancer incidence in nonsmokers. (3)
- Green tea’s benefits go beyond prevention of cancer genesis; it prevents growth and spread of cancer after genesis. Studies on breast cancer showed that green tea consumption reduced incidence and recurrence of breast cancer. (4)
- Other cancers green tea may prevent include prostate, ovarian, and pancreatic cancers. (5, 6, 7)
How Green Tea Prevents Cardiovascular Disease
Catechins make up the majority of the bioactive compounds found in green tea. Catechins can improve cardiovascular health by inhibiting oxidation, vascular inflammation, atherogenesis, and thrombogenesis, and by favorably modulating plasma lipid profiles. (8)
- Green tea consumption has been shown to reduce total and LDL cholesterol levels. Keeping these levels low is important for heart health, as they can block the passage of blood through the blood vessels when found in high concentrations. (9)
- As mentioned, green tea inhibits atherogenesis–often considered a precursor to a heart attack. Atherogenesis is often caused by the oxidation of lipids, so green tea’s ability to inhibit oxidation prevents atherogenesis and the formation of arterial plaques. (10)
- Thrombogenesis is the formation of an arterial clot once a plaque buildup breaks from the arterial wall, completely blocking blood flow to the brain or heart. This causes either a heart attack or stroke. (11)
How Green Tea Prevents Diabetes
Tea has been shown to be one of the best resources for type 2 diabetes prevention.
- Green tea consumption reduced risk of diabetes by as much as 33%, compared to subjects that did not drink green tea. (12)
- Green tea compounds have been shown to improve glucose levels and increase insulin sensitivity.
Green Tea Promotes a Number of Health Benefits
Green Tea Boosts Athletic Performance
Green Tea Enhances the Burning of Fat
As formerly mentioned, green tea compounds promote higher metabolism of fat molecules. This occurs in both active and resting states, indicating that consuming green tea may be an effective strategy for burning fat. (15)
Green Tea Boosts Cognition and Protects Long Term Function
Green Tea contains caffeine as well as L-theanine, which work together to improve focus and cognition. (16) Consumption also leads to other cognitive benefits, including reduced nervousness and improved memory. (17)
Furthermore, green tea also protects brain cells from dementias, such as Alzheimer’s disease, by preventing brain cell death and by clearing harmful compounds that exacerbate the on-set of these diseases. (18)
Green Tea Supports Gut Health
In recent years, gut health has been shown to be vital to overall health, since the gut helps support immune, cognitive, and mental health in addition to digestion. A number of catechins have been shown to assist good strains of bacteria, which in turn help us absorb more of catechins and other nutrients for enhanced personal benefit. (19)
English 
Español