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Heard about the buzz about green tea health benefits and want to learn more? Green tea is a beverage that originated in Asia, and is made from steeping leaves from the tea tree in hot water. Green tea has been popular in countries such as China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea and the Middle East for centuries, and it has long been championed for it's medicinal properties.
This beverage has recently been adopted in western countries specifically as a result of these purported health benefits. So what exactly can green tea do for your health and wellbeing? And are there any potential side effects of including it in your diet?
The reputed health benefits of green tea are seemingly endless. Enthusiasts claim that the beverage is good for preventing cancers, slowing and preventing the onset of degenerative neurological conditions such as Alzheimers, treating illnesses like arthritis and multiple sclerosis, speeding up the metabolism, slowing the aging process, and even that it might slow the progress of HIV and Aids. It's also frequently cited as a good tool for both lowering cholesterol and slimming.
Of these claims, only a few are backed up by scientific evidence. For example, lab tests have shown that an element found in the beverage helps to prevent HIV from infiltrating helper T cells, but this has yet to be proven to be the case with humans as well as animals. It also hasn't been proved conclusively that drinking the beverage prevents heart attack or stroke, though it is known that the antioxidants in the beverage can improve heart health by stopping blood palates from sticking together to form clots, and by keeping blood cholesterol levels low. Antioxidants have also been proven to reduce the risk of some cancers.
All in all, most doctors agree that the effects of this beverage on general health and wellbeing are good, making it a good addition to most healthy eating plans. As it is a caffeinated beverage, you should steer clear of this drink if you are pregnant, likely to become pregnant, or breast feeding, or if you suffer from insomnia.
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