What does green tea do to the body?

What does green tea do to the body?

A new study confirms the importance of drinking green tea, as in addition to being a delicious beverage, one cup of green tea contains a large dose of health benefits, including reducing the risk of cancer and helping to manage diabetes as well as improving sleep and enhancing creativity. There are many proven reasons to consume a large amount of green tea daily, according to Eating Well.

The results of the study, published in the journal Current Developments in Nutrition, confirmed that in addition to the anti-inflammatory properties of green tea, it reduces blood sugar levels and reduces intestinal inflammation, in addition to one of the factors involved in “leaky gut syndrome, which is based on the concept of The intestines are highly permeable and can allow toxins or unwanted substances to enter the bloodstream.”

metabolic syndrome

Researchers from Pennsylvania State University and Ohio State University sought to see if green tea extract could help reduce the risk of health factors related to metabolic syndrome, a group of conditions that often occur together and increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke.

4 risk factors

The Mayo Clinic explains that the more "squares" of metabolic syndrome risk factors that can be verified, the more likely a person will develop serious health problems later in life. The four main risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome include:

• Blood pressure over 130/85 mmHg

• Increased body fat around the waist.

• Fasting blood sugar is 100 mg/dL or more.

• Fasting triglyceride levels higher than 150 mg/dL, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, the "good" cholesterol, less than 40 mg/dL for men or 50 mg/dL for women.

Professor Richard Bruno, senior study author and professor of human nutrition at Ohio University, and his team tried to dive deeper into the benefits of green tea and to see how it might affect cardiovascular health and its link to gut health, something they had previously observed in mice.

5 cups a day

Prof. Bruno and his team selected 40 participants; Of these, 21 met the criteria for metabolic syndrome. Each participant was given a candy containing catechins (natural plant polyphenolic chemicals found in tea, beans, strawberries, and selected other plants). The amount of catechins in each gum was equal to what is found in five cups of green tea. Individuals were instructed to eat one candy per day for 28 days. The participants then took a month's break, and each person took a placebo for the next 28 days.

Throughout the research, subjects were trained to eat a diet low in polyphenols because green tea is rich in them, and the researchers did not want the study results to be misrepresented (i.e., someone eating a large amount of berries, apples, and grapes). .

Glucose and cholesterol levels

Before the start of the study as well as on days 14 and 28 of each phase, the researchers measured each participant's glucose, insulin, lipid (cholesterol) and dietary polyphenol levels. They also requested stool samples to study intestinal inflammation.

Reduce intestinal inflammation

Green tea extract has been shown to lower blood sugar while reducing gut inflammation and permeability among people with and without metabolic syndrome.

Improving intestinal integrity

“The importance of gut health for humans is demonstrated by our research and suggests that dietary factors such as antioxidant-rich green tea can help reduce the risk of glucose intolerance by reducing gut inflammation and improving gut integrity,” says Professor Bruno.

Professor Bruno and other researchers hope to conduct more research on how green tea affects gut microorganisms in hopes of discovering whether green tea can boost good bacteria while helping to reduce the amount of unhelpful bacteria in the gut.