Health Benefits of Green Tea
The health benefits of green tea have been touted for centuries. Modern studies have verified that ancient wisdom, and some have indicated green tea even has more health benefits than other types of tea. But there is no such thing as a miraculous, cure-all botanical, despite abundant marketing claims that the tea plant (Camellia sinensis) is one.
These tips will help you sort through fact and fiction for a more realistic perspective on what green tea has to offer.
Fact: Green tea might decrease your cancer risk.
Lab studies on animals and human volunteers have shown that catechins in green tea can prevent certain tumors from forming. As just one fascinating example, in a 2006 study, 30 men whose physicians expected them to develop prostate cancer within the year took green tea extract as a supplement for that year. An additional 30 men with the same health status took a placebo. Among the subjects who took green tea extract, only one developed a tumor that year, but among those who took the placebo, nine developed tumors.
Green tea’s antioxidants are also likely to protect against certain skin cancers.
Fact: Green tea is anti-inflammatory.
Inflammation can lead to a long list of diseases, including heart disease, arthritis, gastrointestinal disorders, and asthma. But EGCG (vitamin E) in green tea can help decrease inflammation by preventing the accumulation of fibrous proteins.
Fact: Green tea can help reduce stress.
The main amino acid in green tea, theanine, is known for its positive effects on the brain. For example, in a 2006 study, volunteers were tasked with difficult math problems and given L-Theanine or a placebo during the trial. Subjects who took L-Theanine had lower heart rates during the stressful task than their counterparts, as well as fewer indications of sympathetic nervous activation. (The sympathetic nervous system kicks into gear when a person is feeling stressed.) Another study in 2018 showed that animal subjects who consumed matcha exhibited reduced anxiety symptoms compared with those who consumed a placebo.
Plenty of green tea drinkers also offer anecdotal evidence for the tea preparation ritual itself as a calming mental health benefit.
In all of these cases, the big question is how much green tea you need to drink in order to achieve the maximum health benefits — and research hasn’t yet led to a precise answer. Most clinical trials have subjects consume green tea extract, which is highly concentrated. Steeping green tea leaves and straining them for a normal cup of tea does not yield nearly as high of a concentration of green tea’s catechins, antioxidants, and vitamins.
Myth: Green tea burns fat.
It’s true that green tea contains a compound that has the potential to slightly increase metabolism, but the effects vary from tea to tea and from person to person. Typically, there’s not enough of an effect to contribute to clinically or statistically significant weight loss.
Myth: Green tea has anti-aging properties.
Unfortunately, there is no food or beverage that can stop the body from aging. Green tea’s antioxidants might help skin appear more hydrated and smooth, but green tea will not eliminate or prevent wrinkles, nor will it revert any part of the body to a more youthful state.
Myth: Green tea supplements are a great way to unlock green tea’s health benefits.
It’s possible that reasonable amounts of pure green tea extract could be a way to assure sufficient dosage of the antioxidants, theanine, and vitamin E that make green tea so potent for health. But because the supplement industry is rife with fraud, it’s often impossible for consumers to be sure that a capsule truly contains what the label claims, or that their body will absorb it. In the US, there are no federal regulations on green tea supplement ingredients. And these supplements have been linked to numerous harmful side effects, such as liver problems, dizziness, and problems with iron absorption.