Friday, Feb 10, 2012Six Benefits of Drinking Green Tea

There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished by a nice cup of tea.  ~Bernard-Paul Heroux

Eons of legends about the health reasons for drinking green tea are legion. They are especially entrancing when you believe them to be disease-fighting antioxidants that protect your heart. Here are six more benefits of drinking green:

1. Cut Your Risk for Cancer
The potent antioxidants for which green tea is famous can help keep cancer cells from growing in  the body because they stifle growth and then suppress the creation of new blood vessels that tumors need to thrive. Drinking green tea is purported to stunt the risk of breast, stomach, esophagus, colon, and prostate cancer.

2. Soften Your Skin
Soak a cotton ball in green tea and apply it to a cut. The natural antiseptic in it relieves itching and swelling. Use it on inflamed imples, sunburns, or puffy eyes. Green tea is known to block skin cancer, whether you drink it or apply it directly to the skin, which is why these days they’re using green tea in sunscreens and moisturizers.

3. Steady Your Blood Pressure
Healthy blood pressure (below 120/80) is a good thing. Maintaining those numbers is something else.  One of the little-known benefits of drinking green tea is that people who drink just half a cup of green tea a day are almost 50% less likely to wind up with hypertension than nondrinkers. The antioxidants help keep blood vessels from contracting or  raising blood pressure.

4. Enhance Your Memory
Green tea might also keep the brain from getting fuzzy. Seniors who drink at least two cups a day are half as likely to develop cognitive problems. It appears that the antioxidants fights the free-radical damage to brain nerves seen in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

5. Remain Young
The younger and healthier your arteries are, the younger and healthier you are. Green tea fights plaque buildup in blood vessels and adds years to your life. It takes about 10 ounces a day, and this also deters your body from absorbing artery-clogging fat and cholesterol.

6. Lose Weight
Here’s one of those last but not least tips. Green tea speeds up your body’s metabolism and helps burn calories. This is good news for dieters.

There are actually new benefits of drinking green tea coming out all the time. With all the good things you hear, why not include this great drink in your daily routine?