Matcha May Improve Heart Health
Stay calm for this: Matcha green tea can help protect you from a heart attack or stroke* and matcha green tea powder may be much more effective than steeped green tea when it comes to heart health . Introducing;matcha green tea into your regular diet may significantly lower your risk of having a stroke or heart attack.Of course, matcha isnt all you need for a healthy heart. Experts recommend a healthy and regular eating pattern that includes whole grains, fruits and vegetables, fish, and foods that are low in sugar, fat, sodium and cholesterol. Eating right and exercise are key to a healthy heart!
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Assists With Weight Loss
Theres far more to weight loss than simply drinking a cup of green tea each day, but the drink could complement your efforts. Some research indicates that green tea can help to increase fat burning and boost your metabolic rate.
It has been suggested that green tea helps to convert some of the fat stored in the body into free fatty acids, and so increases fat burning, says Hobson. More realistically, the caffeine in the tea could help to increase performance. If you train harder you burn more calories, I guess.
Improves Your Mood And Helps You Relax
The amino acid L-theanine in green tea increases the activity of GABA, a substance in the body with an inhibitory effect, which has an anti-anxiety effect. L-theanine also increases dopamine and the production of alpha waves in the brain, helps you relax, reduces stress, and helps reduce depression.
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Health Benefits Of Green Tea
The good news is that most green tea benefits are supported by actual research. The bad news is that way more research is required before we can start making foolproof claims about the benefits of green tea.
Nevertheless, green tea has been used for medicinal and health-related purposes in places like China and India for centuries. Thats not to mention its perennial association with healthy living, in general. Theres also no disputing the fact that green tea is loaded with healthy compounds and antioxidants. If youre exercising regularly, eating well, and drinking healthy green tea on a regular basis, you may experience some advantages.
Here is a list of the seven benefits of green tea.
Antioxidants In Green Tea Boost The Immune System
Drinking green tea might fend of the sniffles this winter. In a randomized controlled trial, 32% fewer participants taking green tea extract developed cold or flu symptoms compared to a placebo control group . The exact mechanisms behind this effect are unknown, but they could be related to the vitamin C content in green tea.
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The Antioxidants In Green Tea Contain A Bounty Of Possible Perks
Green tea is arguably one of the most famous superfoods out there, but how much do you know about whats in your cup?
Green tea is made from the leaves of the;Camellia sinesis plant, just like all other nonherbal teas. Unlike black and oolong teas, though, green tea is less processed, as its made using steam-dry methods. The delicate processing techniques are thought to be among the reasons why green tea is so rich in nutrients and antioxidants all of which may lead to a range of health benefits. In fact, according to the;National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health , green tea has been used in Chinese and Japanese medicine practices for centuries.
While youve probably heard a lot of chatter about the benefits of green tea, the NCCIH points out that much of the evidence isnt conclusive, and more studies are needed. New York Citybased Megan Casper, RDN, owner of;Megan Casper Nutrition,;notes another key caveat: Many studies of green tea use green tea extract, which can be much stronger than your average at-home brew.
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Newer to the scene and also being talked up for its potential benefits is matcha green tea. Matcha is made from ground whole green tea leaves mixed with freshly boiled water. Casper says this preparation boosts this green teas antioxidant content, as well as its caffeine content.
Easy To Add To Your Diet
Green tea extract is available in liquid, powder, and capsule forms. A wide selection can be found .
The liquid extract can be diluted in water, while the powder can be mixed into smoothies. However, it has a strong taste.
The recommended dosage of green tea extract is between 250500 mg per day. This amount can be obtained from 35 cups of green tea, or about 1.2 liters.
But its important to know that not all green tea extract supplements are created equal. Some supplements contain only dry green tea leaves, while others contain isolated forms of one or more catechins.
Because supplements are not regulated by the FDA to ensure safety, purity, or verification of contents, you should only purchase supplements that have been analyzed by an independent lab to verify purity and content.
The catechin most closely linked to the health benefits of green tea extract is EGCG, so youll want to make sure that the supplement you are consuming contains it.
Finally, its best to take green tea extract with foods. Both exceeding the recommended dose and taking it on an empty stomach may cause serious liver damage (
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Matcha Green Tea Delivers Real Health Benefits
The first mention of green teas health benefits date back thousands of years in Traditional Chinese Medicine, but in the past decades many studies have;confirmed;matcha has many;health benefits; some research specifically has measured matcha powder as the ultimate carrier of health benefits, where since the entire leaf is consumed, you get the full power of key vitamins, minerals, amino-acids, and antioxidants.
Take a look at these super-powered health benefits matcha tea delivers:
Disease and environmental protection
Matcha contains catechins, a family of polyphenols known to assist in our bodies antioxidant activities. This group also contains the well-known epigallocatechin gallate . As one of the worlds most potent antioxidants, EGCG is suggested to reduce inflammation and protect the heart and brain from disease, and is potentially promising in studies against cancer. EGCG is also instrumental in protecting your body from the damaging effects of air pollution, harmful UV radiation, and chemicals used in our daily environment.
Matcha tea actually has many naturally occurring antioxidants, not just EGCG. These work together to protect against a host of illnesses and common health problems. Most importantly, these include cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s disease,Parkinson’s disease, and other degenerative issues
Cholesterol reduction
One of the ways the catechins in matcha tea helps protects your heart is by naturally lowering cholesterol levels.
May Help Prevent Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular diseases, including heart disease and stroke, are the leading causes of death worldwide .
Studies show that green tea may improve some of the main risk factors for these diseases, which includes improving total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels .
Green tea also increases the antioxidant capacity of the blood, which protects the LDL particles from oxidation, which is one part of the pathway toward heart disease .
Given the beneficial effects on risk factors, it may not be surprising that people who drink green tea have up to a 31% lower risk of dying from a cardiovascular disease (
One of these studies was a 12-week randomized controlled study involving 240 people with obesity.
In this study, those in the green tea group had significant decreases in body fat percentage, body weight, waist circumference, and belly fat, compared with those in the control group .
However, some studies dont show a statistically significant increase in weight loss with green tea, so researchers need to perform further studies to confirm this effect .
Summary
Some studies show that green tea may lead to increased weight loss. It may be particularly effective at reducing the dangerous abdominal fat.
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Make Your Heart Healthier
Green tea contains significant amounts of flavonoids, antioxidants that protect against heart disease by slowing the breakdown of LDL cholesterol, preventing blood clots, and improving blood vessel function. The benefits of green tea also include associations with lower cholesterol and lower rates of artery blockages. People who drink a cup or two a day have a 46 percent lower risk of developing narrowed arteries. Upping that to three cups a day lowers the risk of having a heart attack by 43 percent and of dying from a heart attack by 70 percent. It can even help prevent a second heart attack. In a study of 1,900 patients recovering from heart attacks at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, the death rate among patients who drank at least two cups of tea a day was 44 percent lower than among non-tea drinkers.
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How Much Green Tea Should You Drink
These are some of the many benefits of green tea, but the reality is one cup of tea a day will not give you all the abundant gains. The jury is out on how many cups are necessary; some say as little as two cups a day while others insist that its five cups of green tea for the full benefits. If you are thinking of going down this route, you may want to consider taking a green tea supplement instead.
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Green Tea Helps Balance Blood Sugar And Prevent Diabetes
A meta-analysis of 17 previously published studies looked at the relationship between green tea, blood sugar control, and insulin sensitivity in humans. Researchers found favorable effects. Green tea helps reduce fasting blood sugar levels, as well as values for Hb A1C, a measure of average blood sugar over the previous three months.
Another study in Japanese adults from 23 communities followed over 14,000 healthy people for five years. Scientists found that the consumption of green tea was inversely associated with the risk of;developing diabetes, even after adjusting the data for age, sex, body mass index, and other risk factors. In other words, there is something about green tea that is itself protective.
The Health Benefits Of Green Tea
The Chinese have been aware of green teas health benefits, for over 4000 years. Green tea is the beverage of choice in China, Japan and Korea. Today green tea is widely consumed around the world by millions of people who enjoy it for its various health benefits. Thousands of clinical studies and published research indicate that green tea helps vitality, mental focus and aids detoxification. Green tea is also recommended as a supportive aid in diabetes, heart disease and weight management.
What does green tea contain?
Green tea contains naturally occurring compounds called polyphenols. Within this group of polyphenols are flavonoids called catechins. The most powerful catechin is epigallocatechin-3-gallate, EGCG, which is a powerful antioxidant, more powerful than vitamins C and E. EGCG has been shown to have a highly protective role within the body. This specific catechin is usually found in therapeutic amounts in standardised extracts of green tea capsules and tablets.
Is drinking green tea beneficial?
Several studies indicate that people who drink six or more cups of green tea on a daily basis have a better quality of life due to lower levels of damage to the body. This is because green tea helps lower inflammation within the body.
Matcha tea is the actual leaves which are ground down to very small particle size. This has been found to provide more of the EGCG than loose leaf or tea bags. OMGTEAs Matcha tea is sourced from premium Japanese tea producers.
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How Much Green Tea One Should Drink In A Day
According to the National Centre of Complementary and Integrative health, drinking 8 cups of green tea a day is safe, but green tea contains caffeine.
Too much caffeine may disrupt your sleep and cause health issues such as anxiety, insomnia, dizziness, headache, shakiness, restlessness, and abnormal heart rhythm. So, how much green tea you should drink depends upon how much caffeine you can tolerate.
Drinking Green Tea Can Improve Your Appearance
Green tea can even improve your appearance! In a 2011 study published in the Journal of Nutrition, green tea was show to boost skin elasticity and hydration and help protect against ultraviolet lightinduced skin damage. If you start drinking real green tea regularly you will absolutely see an improvement in your overall skin quality.
NOTE: Add more benefits of green tea by enjoying this morning smoothie: Green Tea Smoothie or a Matcha Cocktail in the evening!
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Homemade Green Tea Preparations For Beauty
Other than beverage and supplements, we can use green tea for beauty purpose. Theanine can helps to soothe and calm the skin. Caffeine and EGCG can protects the skin from UV radiation-induced damage and skin cancer formation.
There are many beauty products that contain green tea extract or beauty salons that offer beauty treatment with green tea.; But we can make it ourself, its easy and cheaper. Here some easy homemade preparations to help you dealing with skin problem.
1. Basic green tea toner
- Add 1 green tea bag or 2 tbsp loose green tea leaves into 1 cup of hot water.
- Wait for 5 minutes.
- Pour the tea into closed container or spray bottle. If you used green tea leaves, filter it first.
- Add essential oils that you like or based on your skin type. Its optional. You can add it or not. Lavender oil can be used for all skin type and has relaxing effect. For oily skin you can use rosemary or peppermint oil. For acne, try tea tree oil.
- Apply the green tea toner to face and neck 2 times per day. This may be done by dabbing it on skin with cotton ball or just spritz the skin if you use spray bottle. Do not rinse.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to approximately 3 days.
- After 3 days, make a new one.
- If you want, you can also make it as ice cube like mentioned above. When your skin is sunburned you can wrap the ice cube in clothes or let it a little bit melted than wipe it in your skin.
2. Green tea facial mask
3. Green tea refreshing splash
4. Green tea facial cleanser
Is Matcha Good For Weight Loss
There is no quick fix when it comes to weight loss, but matcha is a great addition to a comprehensive weight-loss program. The reason for this stems from the nutrients packed inside each leaf.
For one, matcha has been shown to improve your metabolism and burn fat. That means that it tackles the issue of weight from both sides, giving you a natural boost in your fight against unwanted pounds, naturally encouraging higher energy levels, while also triggering that hard-to-access fat metabolism
As far as other options for weight loss, most are supplements which youve likely seen carry; negative side effects. Since many of those shortcuts are new, synthetic, and untested, you should think of matcha as a natural way of improving your weight. If you are interested in weight loss, rest assured that matcha doesnt use any dangerous mechanisms to burn fat. It wont raise your blood pressure or cortisol, which are two things you want to avoid when trying to lose weight safely and keep it off. Besides, matcha green tea has origins more than 1,000 years old, our bodies have developed alongside green teas valuable benefits.
In fact, matcha’s effectiveness has been professionally documented. There was a study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that showed matcha increases thermogenesis. Thermogenesis is the rate at which the body burns calories.
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Is Green Tea Good For You
Is green better for you than black? Does it contain caffeine? Can it help ward off disease? Our expert nutritionist Jo Lewin examines the dietary benefits of green tea.
All types of tea, even your regular cup of builders, come from the Camellia sinensis plant. Green tea gets its name from the emerald green colour created when brewing unprocessed, unfermented tea leaves. With origins going back as far as 5,000 years, green tea is commonly drunk and widely grown in the Far East where the health properties are well regarded.
Discover our full range of;health benefit guides and read more about the profile of other teas in our series: including ginger tea, peppermint tea, chamomile tea and rooibos tea.