Green tea is often considered as one of the healthiest, most beneficial beverages on Earth. And there is good reason for this! Green tea has been used for general health and wellness, as well as a cure for various ailments for centuries.

What makes green tea so great? Well, for a start it is full of powerful antioxidants. When you drink it, those antioxidants get absorbed into your body quickly and efficiently and you start to see the benefits almost immediately.

You don’t have to wait until you are sick or you want to “cure” something to reap the benefits of green tea. In fact, if you drink it every day you will undoubtedly see some positive changes to the way you feel, and even the way you look! With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at some of the six great benefits of drinking green tea.

1. Be More Productive

Green tea contains caffeine, which is considered a stimulant. This can help you to feel more awake and alert when you are trying to get stuff done. But, the caffeine in green tea can also improve your overall brain function. Caffeine helps to increase the activity in your brain, allowing you to concentrate on something for longer periods of time.

Green tea also contains an amino acid called L-theanine. This helps you to feel relaxed, and doesn’t cause your body to feel jittery. The combination of this amino acid and the caffeine will increase your alertness and allow you to be more productive throughout your day.

2. Long-Term Brain Protection

It is important to note that green tea does more for the brain than just improve short-term functionalities. It may actually help to prevent against certain conditions such as Alzheimer’s Disease or Parkinson’s. Both of these conditions are considered neurodegenerative diseases. (They continue to get worse over time).

The antioxidants in green tea can help to prevent neurodegenerative diseases from occurring. It can also slow their progression if you are already dealing with the effects of one. By including green tea in your diet each day, you will protect your brain for many years to come.

3. Helps To Burn Fat

You may have already heard about drinking green tea to lose weight. The good news? It is not just some fad or “quick fix” to shed some pounds. Green tea can actually burn fat and help to boost your metabolism.

The caffeine in green tea helps to increase your metabolism. But, some of the other ingredients also work to burn the fat stored. It turns this fat into energy. So, not only will you lose weight by drinking green tea, you will feel more energetic while you’re doing it!

The best thing you can do to lose those stubborn pounds is to add green tea to a healthy, well-balanced diet. You should also be active with exercise several times a week. By including green tea into your healthy lifestyle, you might start to see significant changes in the way your body looks.

4. Improves Heart Health

Heart diseases are silent killers. Unfortunately, heart conditions cause a lot of serious health problems for people. Green tea has been proven to reduce some of the risk factors that go along with many different heart problems. By drinking green tea, you can lower your cholesterol and increase the amount of antioxidants in your blood. This combination can help to prevent heart attacks, stroke, and even high blood pressure.

Because heart problems are so prevalent, many people look for natural ways to improve their health. Drinking a few cups of green tea each day can be a great addition to your heart-healthy lifestyle.

5. Lowers Risk of Cancer

There have been several clinical studies performed that show green tea can possibly help to prevent certain types of cancers. The polyphenols in green tea can help to kill cancer cells, essentially preventing cancer from occurring or weakening cancer that is already in the body. While studies haven’t been done on every type of cancer, the benefits of green tea have been linked to:

• Prostate cancer
• Pancreatic cancer
• Breast cancer

Of course, because there hasn’t been extensive testing on other cancers, it might be fair to assume that green tea could help to prevent many others, too. Including it in your daily diet certainly won’t hurt in your fight against this disease.

If you have already had a cancer diagnosis, green tea should not be used as a replacement of your current medications and treatments. But, it is a natural way to possibly help combat cancer cells, and may cause your treatment to work more efficiently.

6. Improves Your Mood

I have listed some of the physical benefits of green tea. But, it also can help to boost your mood and help you to relax. Even though it contains caffeine, green tea doesn’t make you feel jittery. In fact, it has anti-anxiety effects by boosting the dopamine levels within your brain. Not only does this aid in relaxation, but it can help to decrease your stress and is a great way to combat depression.

Drinking Green Tea for Better Health

As you can see, there are many benefits to including green tea in your diet. The good news? There are plenty of additional benefits that are not on this list. Green tea is truly a superfood, and one of the best things that you can consume on a regular basis.

If you are not already a green tea drinker, consider making the switch as soon as possible. You just might be surprised at how great you start to feel, and you will love what you are doing for the overall well being of your body.