Water is the healthiest drink? Not at all! Green tea can do even more and offers a number of advantages. These seven amazing things happen when you drink green tea every day.
Since Germany is more of a coffee-drinking country, tea is often forgotten. Most people only think of boiling a cup of tea when they have a cold or on a cold winter evening. The green tea leaves in particular contain numerous ingredients that are beneficial to health. So settle in, grab a cup of green tea, and learn just how healthy the underrated hot beverage is. However, green tea also has a particular disadvantage, as you will learn at the end.
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These 7 things happen when you drink green tea every day
1. Your blood pressure drops
What was demonstrated many years ago in animal experiments has now also been confirmed for humans: Regular consumption of green tea leads to a reduction in systolic blood pressure by an average of 5 mmHg – a remarkable value. This was the result of a meta-analysis of green tea studies over the past 25 years. The likely reason for this is that green tea decreases the body’s production of angiotensin, a substance that raises blood pressure.
2. You lose weight
Increasing fluid intake is an effective way to combat excess pounds. While water is a good option, several studies have shown that green tea can help you lose weight even more. In addition to scientific evidence that green tea causes a reduction in bad LDL cholesterol and an increase in good HDL cholesterol, there is data that attests green tea a hunger-reducing effect and an increase in fat burning . Unsweetened green tea can therefore help you lose weight in several ways.
3. Your blood sugar level drops
Green tea contains certain polyphenols that can moderate the rise in blood sugar levels after a meal containing carbohydrates. The phytochemicals prevent the starch from being converted into sugar and ending up in the blood. Researchers therefore believe that green tea has an anti-diabetic effect and could be effective in the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes
Important: Stiftung Warentest has found that a surprising number of green teas are contaminated with harmful substances. Therefore, you should preferably buy organic products , as these are less polluted on average. Popular teas that have been classified as “good” by Stiftung Warentest are, for example, the organic green tea Sencha from Alnatura and the fair trade organic green tea Ceylon from Gepa .
4. Your stress level goes down
It goes without saying that drinking tea helps against stress. Green tea also contains the amino acid L-theanine , which lowers the heart rate and increases heart rate variability, which is beneficial for health. As a result, green tea can reduce the body’s stress response and have a calming effect.
5. Your complexion improves
Since skin damage is caused by UV light and oxygen free radicals, green tea’s antioxidant polyphenols have long been considered a potential anti-aging agent. A meta-analysis has now impressively demonstrated the positive properties of green tea extract on the skin : Researchers at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok have compiled previous studies on the subject and found that both oral intake and the application of a cream with green tea extract to the skin skin can reduce oxidative stress and wrinkles and even reduce DNA damage and sunburn by up to 66 percent .
6. Your risk of depression decreases
It would be presumptuous to say that green tea or other foods can cure depression. However, green tea contains certain plant nutrients that inhibit an enzyme called monoamine oxidase (MAO). This enzyme is linked to the development of depression because it clears the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine in the brain. People with depression often have particularly high levels of MAO, which is why studies are also investigating whether MAO-inhibiting foods such as green tea can reduce the risk of depression. And indeed there seems to be something to it: A research team from Wuhan, China, compared 13 studies with 22,817 subjects as part of a meta-analysis on the possible connection between depression and the consumption of green tea. They found that those who drank three cups of green tea a day had a 37 percent lower risk of depression than those who drank little or no tea.
7. Your iron absorption deteriorates
Unfortunately, green tea also has a major disadvantage: it inhibits iron absorption in the small intestine. This is due to the tannins it contains . The tannins belong to the secondary plant substances and also have positive properties, for example they have a strong antioxidant effect . However, according to studies, drinking the tea with a meal reduces iron absorption by about 50 percent – bad news for anyone suffering from iron deficiency anemia .
The good news is that you can bypass or negate the effect with simple tricks. Since the tannins are only increasingly released after a steeping time of more than two minutes, you can simply let your green tea steep for a shorter time to prevent the negative effect. In addition, the simultaneous intake of vitamin C in turn improves the absorption of iron from food. With a bit of lemon and orange juice or vegetables rich in vitamin C such as peppers or broccoli in your meal, you can compensate for the iron inhibition of green tea.
