Green tea: beauty and life?

Green tea has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries to treat everything from headaches to depression.

Leaves are supposed to be richer in antioxidants than other types of tea because of the way they are treated.

All teas (green, black and oolong tea) are produced from the Camellia sinensis plant using various methods. Fresh leaves are evaporated from the plant to produce green tea,

while black tea leaves and black tea include fermentation.

Green tea is allegedly used to promote weight loss,

lower cholesterol, fight cardiovascular disease,

prevent cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

The evidence
cancer

There is no evidence that drinking green tea protects against different types of cancer.

A good quality study for 2020 included 51 studies of more than 1.6 million participants. Studies looked for a link between drinking green tea and colon cancer,

prostate, breast, mouth, and lungs.

The authors of the review concluded that the evidence for a link between green tea

and cancer was weak and “very contradictory”.

Weight loss

It is believed that the catechin antioxidants and green caffeine in green tea may have a role in helping the body burn more calories

sometimes referred to as a metabolism accelerator – that can help with weight loss.

In 2012, it consisted of 18 studies involving 1,945 people. Drinking green tea did not have much effect on weight loss.

Cholesterol

There is growing evidence that both green and black tea are beneficial for preventing cardiovascular disease.

A good quality 2013 review from 11 studies of 821 people found that daily consumption of green

and black tea (as a drink or capsule) could help lower cholesterol and blood pressure thanks to the tea and its antioxidants.

The review authors cautioned that most trials were short-lived Long-term,

high-quality trials are needed to support their findings.

A good quality review from 2011 found that drinking green tea enriched with antioxidants resulted in a slight decrease in cholesterol,

which is the main cause of heart disease and stroke.

However,

it is still not clear from the evidence how much green tea we need to drink to see a positive effect on our health,

or what the long-term effects of green tea consumption have on our overall health.

Alzheimer’s disease

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Evidence of a positive link between drinking green tea and Alzheimer’s is weak.

A 2010 laboratory study using animal cells found that preparing green tea rich in antioxidants protects the death of neurons linked to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

It remains to be seen whether these results can be repeated in human trials.

As such, the results do not show conclusively that green tea is fighting Alzheimer’s disease.

The rule of a dietician

Allison Hornby, a dietitian, and spokeswoman for the British Dietetic Association,

says the evidence for the health benefits of green tea is inconclusive.

She says: “In the Far East, green tea has been used as a treatment for a variety of conditions ranging from arthritis to weight loss,

as well as a preventive measure for diseases such as cancer,

although evidence for most of these conditions is weak or absent.

“However, as a social drink, he seems to be safe in moderate amounts, so green tea lovers can continue to enjoy it.”