Green tea is one of the most well-known superfoods in the world, and it’s famous for more than just its great taste and long-standing traditional history. Drinking two or more cups of green tea per day can prevent sickness, help you heal if you do get sick, and even help you live longer. 

Drinking tea when you’re sick 

Why Green tea is the best tea to drink when feeling sick. 

When we’re not feeling well, our immune system starts working in overdrive. Drinking two or more cups of green tea per day can keep you from getting sick and help you recover faster when you are sick. 

When a germ or harmful substance triggers an immune response in our bodies, both our innate and adaptive immune systems kick in and begin fighting whatever antigen is making us sick. 

Our bodies work really hard to fight the germs causing our sickness, and therefore, we need more sleep, hydration, and any extra vitamin and antioxidant support we can get. This is where tea comes to the rescue! Tea is great for your immune system because it’s full of antioxidants, l-theanine, and vitamins. Drinking tea, specifically green tea, may help you recover from sickness. 

The catechins in green tea have been proven to help prevent you from getting the flu and lessen the impact of the flu if you already have it. The EGCG in green tea is known as one of the most powerful antioxidants available. EGCG is found in high concentrations in green tea and helps reduce inflammation, prevent oxidative stress, and support heart and brain health. Because tea is 99.5% water, drinking tea also hydrates your body and helps you feel better when you’re sick. Staying hydrated helps blood move more freely through your body - it’s like upping the speed limit on the highway. When you’re hydrated, your blood is full of immune helpers that can travel around your body faster and fight germs more successfully. 

Often, when we’re sick, we miss work, can’t complete our daily tasks as effectively, and feel like we’re falling short. Being sick also makes a lot of us feel stressed! High levels of stress do the opposite of helping us heal, and it can actually make our sickness last longer! Matcha green tea has been proven to help lower chronic stress. The less stress we have, the healthier we are. 

Tea for longevity 

Beyond preventing and treating mild sicknesses like the flu, the antioxidants in matcha green tea powder are proven to help you live longer by preventing chronic diseases and maintaining a healthy weight.

Obesity increases the risk of death by anywhere between 22% and 91%! The polyphenols in tea alter the way our bodies absorb fat and sugar, boost our metabolism, and detox our bodies. 2-3 cups of green tea per day can help you maintain a healthy body weight and combat obesity.

In a recent study that followed almost 500,000 tea drinkers in the UK for over 11 years, it was proven that people who drink two or more cups of tea per day have up to a 13% lower risk of dying than non-tea drinkers. 

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the world. Cancer is number two, and stroke is number five. The antioxidants, polyphenols, and l-theanine in tea are proven to help prevent heart disease, stroke, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and other chronic diseases and will help you live longer. 

The Camellia Sinensis plant that all tea leaves come from boasts an impressive amount of health benefits that lead to longevity. The difference in the chemical composition of different types of tea stems from how the tea is harvested and processed. After harvest, tea leaves that are not allowed to ferment become green tea, and tea leaves that do ferment become black tea. Modern medical studies are able to prove that green tea has more antioxidants and flavonoids than black tea, and therefore green tea is likely more potent for longevity and disease prevention. 

A lot of chronic diseases like cancer are caused primarily by oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is linked to free radicals. The antioxidants in green tea act like a vacuum sucking up free radicals and preventing them from going unchecked in the body and, in turn, helping prevent oxidative stress and the chronic diseases caused by it. The high content of EGCG in green tea is directly linked to neural cell health and improved function of the cerebral cortex. Studies show that tea can help prevent Parkinson’s disease, memory loss, and cognitive dysfunction. 

Tea is also chock full of vitamins like vitamins C, E and A. All three of these vitamins have been linked to results that show an increased activation of cells that cause immunity to tumors. The flavonoids in green tea lower bad cholesterol blood pressure and reduce blood clotting, which boosts your overall heart health. 

An important factor in tea improving longevity by preventing chronic diseases is the amount of tea consumed and the consistency of consumption. Studies show that between 2-5 cups of tea per day is ideal for improving overall health and helping you live longer by preventing diseases. Habitual tea drinkers are going to experience the benefits of tea much more significantly than people who only drink tea occasionally. Making tea drinking a habit is the best way to reap the rewards that tea has on your health. 

The bottom line 

Due to the antioxidants, flavonoids, and vitamins in tea, drinking 2 to 5 cups of tea every day (especially green tea) can keep you from getting sick, help you heal from sickness, help you maintain a healthy body weight, and help you live longer by preventing chronic diseases like cancer, heart diseases, stroke and Parkinson’s. 

Disclaimer: These statements in this blog post have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The information provided here is for educational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. It's essential to consult with a qualified healthcare professional before making any dietary or lifestyle changes. 

References:

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