Want to enhance your health in surprising ways? Drink green tea.
This beverage has been used for thousands of years by the
Chinese. It has proved itself for centuries as worthy of being
included in our diet for its health properties.
Not only has this drink been endorsed for ages, but modern
science also has discovered astonishing facts about what
it may be able to do for your health.
There are a lot more benefits to drinking green tea than are listed
below, but here are seven:
1. Drink it to help shed extra pounds.
A study published by the American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition in November, 1999, is encouraging. It shows that
this drink may enable people to burn more calories.
2. This ancient brew may help combat signs of aging.
That's because it contains large amounts of vitamins E and
C which are antioxidants. Antioxidants have the reputation
of being able to combat free radicals that damage cells.
Cancer, heart attacks and diabetes can result from damaged
cell membranes.
In April, 1999, researchers at Case Western Reserve
University in Cleveland revealed that green tea may ease the
symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.
3. This drink may help asthma sufferers.
Because it contains theophylline (a muscle relaxant), it can
help the muscles surrounding bronchial tubes to relax. This
helps asthma sufferers to breathe with less restriction.
4. Green tea may help lower blood pressure.
High blood pressure makes you susceptible to heart attack
and stroke. This ancient brew may also keep blood clots from
forming.
5. Green tea has been reported to help in the fight against
cancer.
Doctors from the prestigious Mayo Clinic found that green
tea extract given to four leukemia patients seemed to help
three of them experience regression of the disease. And even
the fourth patient showed some improvement. The reason the
doctors tried green tea extract is that a 2004 test tube
study showed that leukemia cells were killed by the
extract.
By the way, in Japan there are fewer reported cancer deaths.
Could it be because the Japanese drink a lot of green tea?
6. Drinking this beverage my help lower cholesterol.
Lowering cholesterol with no side effects has been reported
in studies using green tea. Your ability to fight heart
disease and ward off stroke is tied in with your cholesterol
count.
7. This brew may help your body fight infections.
The New York Times reported in April of 2003 that the immune
system's ability to fight disease may be strengthened by
drinking green tea. Microbiologist Milton Schiffenbauer,
professor at Pace University (New York) stated, "Our
research shows tea extracts can destroy the organism that
causes disease. If we can stimulate the immune system and at
the same time we are destroying the organisms then it makes
sense to drink more tea."
Now that you've learned 7 ways green tea has been shown to
help your health, why not give it a place in your daily
diet? It's not a magic cure, but this proven ancient
beverage may just help you to be healthier.