You may dismiss green tea as bland, tasteless liquid, but here’s the thing – that bland tasteless liquid is a reservoir of nutrients and antioxidants that work together to give big benefits to the body – in ways you could never imagine. Yes! there are innumerable health benefits of green tea.

FIT got in touch with Dr Rupali Datta, Consultant Nutritionist-Chikitsa NMC to gain some perspective on the health benefits of green tea.

1. Green Tea = Dropping the Kilos

What got me tilting towards green tea was that green tea helps lose weight! Experts claim that green tea aids weight loss. Several studies have claimed that green tea leads to significant improvements in health, elevates metabolic rate and pushes weight loss because of its excellent concentration of flavonoids and catechins.

Case in point is a research conducted by researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences and published online in Molecular Nutrition Food Research in December 2013. Voluntary exercise combined with green-tea drinking helps shed excess weight, according to the research.

This, however, should not translate into gulping down oodles of green tea.

Dr Rupali Datta, Consultant Nutritionist, Chikitsa NMC adds:

2. Reduces Risk of Infections

Tired of the seasonal flu? I was. Green tea to the rescue.

Studies have shown that catechins present in green tea curb bacteria and viruses, lowering the risk of infections. Not just that, but green tea is also considered effective in reducing bad breath “because of its disinfectant and deodorant activities,” according to another study. Healthy and smelling good? Sign me up!

3. Green Tea Lowers the Risk of Developing Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is one of the biggest causes of stress for people across ages. With our diet and lifestyle, young children are showing symptoms of pre-diabetes. But, controlled trials and medical studies have found that green tea can improve insulin sensitivity and regulate blood sugar levels. Yes, another health benefit of green tea. How many are there?

According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and based on the review of seven distinct trials:

4. Wonder Drink For Lowering Cholesterol & Blood Pressure

Yet another health benefit of green tea is that it reportedly leads to modest but significant reduction in bad cholesterol. Green tea also improves the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol.

Regular consumption of green tea is also known to reduce the risk of high blood pressure. This inadvertently leads to overall well being and lower risk of falling prey to obesity – can one let go off this health benefit of green tea?

Dr Datta also suggests adding hot water to the tea leaves instead of boiling them to get the maximum catechins. She further says:

Need we say more?

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Also Read: Excess Green Tea Consumption Could Affect Fertility