How Does Green Tea Benefit Your Health?

Green tea is synonymous with health today. The tea offers various benefits, some of the most important ones being better heart health, weight loss, and prevention of serious ailments like cancer and diabetes. Green tea also helps improve depression symptoms.

Cuts Cancer Risk

According to the National Cancer Institute, the polyphenols (especially catechins) are responsible for the tea’s anticancer properties. The most promising of these is EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate). This, along with other polyphenols, fights free radicals and protects the cells from DNA damage that is caused by the reactive oxygen species. Green tea polyphenols can also modulate immune system function (1).

As per another study, green tea helps prevent a range of cancers. These include cancers of the lung, skin, breast, liver, colon, and pancreas. The constituents of green tea prevent cancer cell proliferation and can even accelerate recovery (2).

EGCG has also been found to kill cancer cells without affecting the healthy ones (3). This could be a breakthrough in cancer treatment – as the destruction of healthy cells is what makes cancer all the more painful and even act as a hindrance to recovery. As per research, drinking about 4 cups of green tea can aid in cancer treatment.