Tea May Boost The Immune System
Studies have shown tea can tune up immune cells so they reach their targets quicker. Holy basil or tulsi tea has been used by Ayurvedic practitioners for centuries to help keep the immune system strong after injuries or illnesses thanks to its antibacterial, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties.
10. Tea unadulterated, that is is calorie free
Its a great no-calorie alternative to water, Bonci said. It provides so many options for flavor and versatility. You can have it hot or cold. And you dont have to put anything in it, though you might want to add a cinnamon stick or some ginger. That means youre able to hydrate with something other than water alone.
Get yourself a cannister of Teabloom’s fruit and green tea variety packs and you’ll never get bored or miss the sugar. With all-natural flavors like pineapple, acai berry, strawberry and litchi, you can easily keep your palate pleased.
Why You Should Consider Green Tea Detox
Our bodies are responsible for our health. However, over time, our systems are bogged down with everything that we feed our bodies. When that happens, the body rebels and stops functioning as it should. That is when you need to detox and revitalize your body.
Detoxification is the process through which you will clean your body systems. This will entail taking in things that will push the impurities out.
Many detoxification plans exist. You should consider green tea as your agent of body change. Green tea detox entails the use of green tea to purify your blood and get everything moving on. You can incorporate it in your diet, in the morning, noon, and dinnertime depending on the detox plan that you are on.
Green tea detox is beneficial in many ways. You should bear these benefits in mind if you are in doubt about the efficacy of a green tea-oriented detox plan.
Potential Risks Of Hot Tea
Unfortunately, research has also indicated at least one serious hot tea health risk. Specifically, a link between esophageal cancer and hot tea.
A study with more than 50,000 participants in Iran showed that people who drank two to three mugs of scalding black tea a day were twice as likely to develop esophageal cancer. Those most at risk were those drinking their tea at or above 140 F .
Tea has to be drunk almost immediately after being removed from a heat source in order for it to be consumed at this temperature. To avoid scalding your mouth and throat, let your tea cool for a few minutes before taking a sip. If you like to add milk to your tea, that will also help lower the temperature of the drink.
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Sencha Tea Nutrition Facts
The health benefits derived from all teas, including sencha tea, may be in large part due to antioxidants, catechins, vitamin C, beta-carotene, folic acid, saponins, potassium, calcium, and phosphorus found in these nutrient-dense leaves. It also contains caffeine, which is a major contributor to many of the health benefits.
Green Tea Might Help Fight Off Cancer
Your cells naturally accumulate oxidative damage during regular cell metabolism. A class of molecules called antioxidants can prevent or even reverse that damage. One of the most powerful antioxidants is called epigallocatechin gallate, and it is found in high levels in green tea. Epigallocatechin gallate has been shown to reduce the growth of breast and prostate tumors .
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May Help You Live Longer
Given that some compounds in green tea may help protect against cancer and heart disease, it makes sense that it could help you live longer.
In one study, researchers studied 40,530 Japanese adults over 11 years. Those who drank the most green tea 5 or more cups per day were significantly less likely to die during the study period (
- Death of all causes: 23% lower in women, 12% lower in men
- Death from heart disease: 31% lower in women, 22% lower in men
- Death from stroke: 42% lower in women, 35% lower in men
Another study involving 14,001 older Japanese individuals found that those who drank the most green tea were 76% less likely to die during the 6-year study period .
Summary
Green Tea Side Effects
While there are benefits to drinking a steaming cup of green tea, excessive consumption can pose a risk to people with certain conditions and sensitivities. Here are the green tea side effects to watch out for:
According to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report, 80% of peoples total water intake comes from drinking water and beverages . However, green tea is a natural diuretica substance that stimulates the increased production of urinewhich means drinking too much green tea can lead to dehydration, causing headaches, fatigue, and further health issues.
The polyphenols in tea are considered to be significant inhibitors of iron absorption, and one study found that consuming excessive amounts of green tea may lead to iron deficiency.
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Can Green Tea Affect Iron Levels
Like all types of tea, green tea contains tannins. Tannins can interfere with the absorption of iron so try not to drink tea with an iron-rich meal and leave at least one hour before drinking tea after an iron-rich meal.
Kerry Torrens is a qualified nutritionist with a post graduate diploma in Personalised Nutrition & Nutritional Therapy. She is a member of the British Association for Applied Nutrition and Nutritional Therapy and a member of the Guild of Food Writers. Over the last 15 years she has been a contributing author to a number of nutritional and cookery publications including BBC Good Food.
Jo Lewin is a registered nutritionist with the Association for Nutrition with a specialism in public health. Follow her on Twitter .
All health content on bbcgoodfood.com is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local health care provider. See our website terms and conditions for more information.
Green Tea Compounds Could Fight Against Mrsa
Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, is a strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that is often transmitted in health care settings. Unlike regular staph infections, MRSA is not easily treated with antibiotics. Thus, new avenues for treatment are needed. Some preliminary evidence indicates that green tea may be helpful in the fight against MRSA .
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Side Effects Of Green Tea
There are few side effects of green tea. But there are some points to take care of. Lets check out what are those points.
Best For Sickness: Peppermint Tea
Menthol packs quite the punch when it comes to fighting a cold and peppermint tea is packed with menthol. It really kicks up your immune system, says Czerwony.
Peppermint tea works well to relax sore throat muscles, relieve nasal congestion and even reduce a fever. Its also loaded with antibacterial and antiviral properties to give you a healthy boost.
Other teas to try when youre not feeling 100% include:
- Echinacea.
- Elderberry.
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Tea Drinking: Your Risk Of Certain Cancers Goes Down
The antioxidants and compounds found in tea have been linked to a lower risk of certain cancers. Beneficial effects have been found in skin, prostate, lung, and breast cancers, says Uma Naidoo, MD, Director of Nutritional and Lifestyle Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and Faculty at Harvard Medical School. Different types of tea impact different cancers. Drinking tea is just one of the simple ways you can prevent cancer.
Tea And Coffee Provide A Different Buzz
The other day, I was talking to a friend of mine about the psychoactive effects of coffee and tea.
Both contain caffeine and therefore have a stimulant-like effect on the brain, but we agreed that the nature of these effects is quite different.
My friend used an interesting analogy: The effect provided by tea is like being gently encouraged to do something by a loving grandmother, while coffee is like being kicked in the butt by a military officer.
After our conversation, Ive been doing some reading on tea and how it affects the mind.
Dont get me wrong, I do love coffee and I believe it to be healthy. In fact, I tend to call it my all-time favorite health drink.
However, coffee does definitely have a downside for me.
While it tends to give me a nice and strong energy boost, I believe it sometimes prevents me from getting much done because the wired feeling can cause my brain to wander.
This excessive stimulant effect of coffee can make me spend a lot of time on unproductive tasks like checking emails, scrolling through Facebook, reading pointless news stories, etc.
It turns out that tea has less caffeine than coffee, but it also contains three stimulant substances that may provide some sort of synergistic effect.
Summary
Coffee gives a stronger boost and greater stimulating effects than tea. It can even be so powerful that it may affect your productivity.
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Iron Deficiency And Anemia
Green tea reduces the absorption of iron from food. Its polyphenols bind to the iron and make it less available to your body. It was previously believed that green tea hindered the absorption of non-heme iron by about 25%.2 But recent findings suggest that it hinders heme or plant iron absorption too.3
Add a dash of lemon to your green tea to check iron malabsorption.
However, vitamin C increases non-heme iron absorption, so you can squeeze lemon into your tea or consume other vitamin-C rich foods such as peas, broccoli, and tomatoes with your meal. If you have an iron deficiency like anemia, the National Cancer Institute recommends consuming tea between meals.4
Effect Of Egcg On Diabetes
A study by Waltner-Law et al. provided compelling in vitro evidence that EGCG decreases glucose production of H4IIE rat hepatoma cells. The investigators showed that EGCG mimics insulin, increases tyrosine phosphorylation of the insulin receptor and the insulin receptor substrate, and reduces gene expression of the gluconeogenic enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase. Recently, green tea and green tea extracts were demonstrated to modify glucose metabolism beneficially in experimental models of type II diabetes mellitus . In addition, EGCG ameliorates cytokine-induced cell damage in vitro and prevents the decrease of islet mass induced by treatment with multiple low doses of streptozotocin in vivo .
Lambert et al. showed that intragastric administration of EGCG at a dose of 75 mg/kg resulted in a Cmax of 128 mg/l total plasma EGCG and a terminal half-life of 83 minutes. Furthermore, in humans an oral intake of EGCG at a dose of 50 mg resulted in a Cmax of 130 mg/l total plasma EGCG and a terminal half-life of 112 minutes . These results indicate that rodents must be orally administered 100- to 600-fold more EGCG to achieve similar plasma concentrations as those found in humans. Total plasma EGCG concentrations shown to be efficacious in mice and rats can be reached by an intake of low to moderate doses of EGCG in humans.
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Tea Drinking: Your Attention Span May Improve
The caffeine in tea can improve your attention and alertness. Theanine is an amino acid that is virtually unique to tea , explains Dr. Naidoo. It may also improve attention by relaxing the brain, but stimulating it when it is time to focus. If you ever find yourself having difficulty with focus or concentration, try steeping a warm cup of tea just before its time to work or consider these other foods that might help you focus.
Green Tea Can Help You Reduce Your Sugar Intake
Green tea is a healthy choice for those worried about added sugars, because it naturally contains zero grams of sugar. Compared to soda and fruit juice, which both contain a lot of sugar, green tea is the healthier choice. If you are accustomed to sugary beverages, it may take some time to adjust to the more astringent flavor of green tea. One good way to reap the benefits of green tea is to mix a tablespoon or two of matcha green tea powder into your smoothies until you get used to drinking green tea on its own.
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How To Prepare Green Tea
The tea you use, temperature and steeping time all have a significant effect on the antioxidant levels of brewed green tea. Warm and ambient temperatures are the best to retain antioxidants. Let the boiling water cool slightly before pouring onto the tea leaves, and allow to steep for between 2 and 3 minutes.
/7the Caffeine Content In Green Tea
The caffeine content in a cup of green tea depends on the duration of infusing time and the amount of tea. Green tea contains less amount of caffeine as compared to black tea and coffee. In general, 230 ml of green contains 20-45 milligrams of caffeine, which is quite less than the amount of caffeine found in coffee and tea.
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What Is Green Tea
Green tea is derived from the leaves of the tea plant known as Camellia sinensis. Green tea comes from the same plant that produces black tea, oolong tea, and white tea. It is a true tea that is distinguished by its mild production process. Green tea leaves are harvested from the tea plant before being withered and dried. Green tea is not oxidized and maintains its natural green color.
There are two main categories of green tea: Japanese green teas and Chinese green teas.
Japanese green teas are steamed during the drying process. The types of green tea tend to taste sweeter and more vegetal than their Chinese counterparts.
One of the most famous Japanese green teas is matcha tea. This type of green tea is made by grinding the tea leaves into a fine powder. It is popularly consumed in the Japanese tea ceremony and as a matcha latte in the western world.
Another popular Japanese green tea is known as Genmaicha, which is a blend of green tea leaves and roasted rice kernels.
Chinese green teas are dried by pan-frying or roasting. Chinese green teas tend to be stronger and bolder than Japanese varieties. They also feature more smoky, toasted, and earthy flavors.
Sencha Fuji green teas are some of the finest varieties of Chinese green teas. Formosa Gunpowder tea is another favorite and is characterized by its small pellet shape that mimics the look of gunpowder.
Effects On Absorption Of Metal Ions
Tea catechins can affect iron absorption, particularly in groups at risk of iron deficiency , but their effects on other ions are poorly understood. Green tea ingestion over a long period does not affect the apparent absorption of copper, whereas it decreases that of zinc and increases that of manganese . However, catechin intake does not affect the plasma concentration of these ions . Green tea catechins have the potential to affect absorption and metabolism of ions because flavonoids interact with a variety of metal ions .
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May Reduce Cholesterol Levels
In addition to lowering the blood pressure, sencha tea is thought to reduce LDL or bad cholesterol levels, as shown in some animal models. It is thought that the catechins in this tea may affect lipid metabolism by decreasing the absorption of fat, and thus, of triglycerides and cholesterol. This, in turn, may boost metabolism, aid in weight loss, and protect from several cardiovascular complications.
Green Tea Boosts Flavonoids In Your Diet
Many of the documented health benefits of green, black, or oolong tea are linked to the flavonoids present in tea leaves. A recently published study in the journal Advances in Nutrition reported that daily flavonoid intake from tea was associated with reduced risk for death from heart disease and any cause of death.
According to Joy Dubost, PhD, RD, Head of Nutrition & Health at Lipton, “Flavonoids are naturally occurring dietary compounds in tea which have been associated with heart health. Daily consumption of at least 200-500 milligrams of flavonoids, found in 2-3 cups of tea, can help support a healthy heart as part of a diet consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.” For more ways to protect your heart, consider giving up these 5 Drinks That May Lead to a Heart Attack, According to Science.
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