Suntory Beverage and Food President Nobuhiro Torii drinks the company's Iemon green tea during an interview with Reuters at the company headquarters in Tokyo July 10, 2013.
Suntory Beverage and Food President Nobuhiro Torii drinks the company's Iemon green tea during an interview with Reuters at the company headquarters in Tokyo July 10, 2013. REUTERS/Toru Hanai REUTERS/Toru Hanai

Green tea has always been considered helpful in achieving weight loss. Research shows that drinking green tea has more health benefits than just weight loss. There are different kinds of tea, such as black tea, oolong tea and green tea. Of them, green tea is the healthiest beverage as it contains a powerful amount of anti oxidants, states a report on Green Tea by the University of Maryland Medical Centre. Though renowned for its contribution towards weight loss, the report states that the beverage is a one stop solution for several health problems.

Health benefits

According to Medical News Today, green tea is the healthiest drink, as it contains a minimum amount of caffeine and a high amount of polyphenol. This provides an anti-carcinogenic and anti-inflammatory effect.

Cancer

The National Cancer Institute's research revealed that polyphenols curb the growth of tumors, and also reduce the damage caused by UV rays. According to Cancer.org, it is seen that green tea can prevent cancer of the esophagus, skin, stomach, colon, pancreas, lung, bladder, prostate and breast. Countries that consume a lot of tea have lower incidence of cancer cases, but the FDA in 2005 stated that more credible evidence is required to support the claims.

Weight Loss

According to Natural News, green tea contains catechins which help burn fat. It also increases ones metabolism. A 2005 study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that those who consumed tea with green tea extracts lost more weight than those who drank oolong tea. Research from the University of Chicago states that green tea causes 21 per cent reduction in weight, and that the tea helps reduce appetite and regulate glucose. It is also a good alternative for normal sugary drinks.

Lowers Cholesterol

The report on Green Tea released by the University of Maryland Medical Centre states that green tea lowers cholesterol and increases HDL, or good cholesterol. It also improves blood flow. Research has shown that the polyphenols in the tea block cholesterol from being absorbed in the intestine.

Heart Disease

A study conducted in Japan involved 40,000 Japanese subjects asked to consume tea. They were observed for 11 years. The research found that those who consumed green tea more than five times a day had a significantly lower risk of dying due to cardiovascular diseases compared to those who drank just one cup a day. A study published in the April 2014 issue of Angiology reconfirmed the findings as their study showed same results.

Other studies showed that it reduces stress, helps control blood sugar, inflammation, arthritis and also helps in skin related diseases.

Though the benefits are immense, remember not to consume too much as the caffeine may cause problems.