Green tea just isn’t another trendy product for youngsters.
Discovered in China, it’s been here since around 3000 B.C and people have kept it alive as a tradition, a healing ointment, and as a beneficial cup of tea.
This popularity is due to its never-ending benefits which are now backed up by Medical Sciences.
There is a robust demand for green tea around the world and countries like India and China are finding ways to increase tea production to meet the demand.
Among all this hype, it’s good to start drinking green tea for healthy bodily benefits but how much green tea should you drink daily? Let us break it down for you.
The Truth: How Much Green Tea to Drink a Day:
A lot of advertising & marketing campaigns may tell you that drinking green tea is the new formula to stay fit.
But there is a limit that is healthy for you and your body.
Green tea contains catechins and caffeine as the main elements.
To avail of the most benefits of green tea, you need to consume these compounds in moderation. If you just started, it is best to take 2 to 3 cups of green tea in a day.
Did you know?
According to a prediction, annual green tea production will skyrocket and reach 3.6 million tons by the year 2027.
Research differs when it comes to intake of green tea daily. A study of the Journal of Functional Foods done in August 2013, unfermented teas have more antioxidants than fermented teas.
The process of how green tea is processed makes it healthier by keeping all the nutrients intact, hence green tea is an unfermented tea and is the healthier choice.
Therefore, how much green tea to drink daily mostly depends on the health and condition of most people. For a healthy individual, most studies find 3-6 cups are fine to drink.
Finally, it all depends upon what is your goal and what you want to get out of drinking green tea.
What Happens If You Drink Green Tea Every Day?
The optimal amount to drink green tea may depends from person to person. Some studies show results & benefits of even drinking one cup a day, others suggest that to absorb more nutrients 5-6 cups are great for daily intake.
No matter how much, if you drink green tea every day here’s what to expect:
- It Increases the activity level of your body. You feel more alert throughout the day.
- Heart health improves a lot by regularly consuming green tea. It also opens blocked arteries..
- Having green tea every day elevates your mood & temperament.
- The compounds present in green tea reduce the risk of cancer & Alzheimer’s.
- Green tea refreshes your breath and enhances dental health by decreasing the chances of the cavity.
How Much Green Tea to Drink & Prevent Diabetes?
Diabetes is a condition that interferes with the body’s own ability to convert and process blood glucose.
With all the processed food and unhealthy eating habits, the number of people with diabetes in the US only is estimated to be around 34.2 million.
Most people with diabetes are recommended to drink green tea as a supplement to control blood sugar. You want to try this treatment as it’s an easy and effective way to control your diabetes.
A study found that diabetic patients can lower the risk of type 2 diabetes if they drink three to four cups per day.
Make Your Cardiovascular Health Better with Green Tea:
Green tea reduces the risks of heart diseases and may provide a lower risk of death from heart-related issues.
According to research, the individuals over 65 years of age, who drank more than 5 cups of green tea had better cognitive functions than the ones who had less than 3 cups.
Studies also suggest revealing that especially in men drinking green tea reduces the risk of clogged arteries.
Even people who drink less than 3 cups of green tea reduce the risk of heart attacks and other related issues.
Lose Weight by This Much Green Tea a Day:
Does drinking green tea make you lose weight? Recently green tea is in limelight as a natural way to lose weight by helping the body’s metabolism to work faster.
The EGCG and caffeine work together to burn fats and convert more energy to reduce the number of calories.
According to different collective studies, the results tell us that if you take 100-469 mg of EGCG & 80-300 mg Caffeine together for 12 weeks religiously then you might be able to shed a significant amount of fats from your body.
Therefore, if you want to get in shape and have a goal of weight loss then aim for at least 2-6 cups of green tea in a day to achieve this transformation.
On the other hand, it is important to note that if you are just trying to lose weight by only drinking green tea then the benefits of weight loss on the body will be small and time taking.
However, you can speed up the process by doing regular exercises and starting a healthy diet along with green tea. This will surely have greater metabolic benefits and you will be a smarter new person in no time.
Can you Fix Cholesterol Level with Green Tea?
Bad Cholesterol levels are a health condition that is not good for heart health and it affects your overall health as well. Exercise is one of the ways to control cholesterol with a healthy diet and green tea.
Green tea is known to prevent cholesterol absorption in the intestines, increase HDL cholesterol, is good for liver activity, and overall reduce high cholesterol levels.
In a study done in 2003, researchers examined the effects of lowering cholesterol by including 375 mg of catechin in 240 participants’ diets. The researchers found out
- The extract did reduce the total cholesterol by 11 %
- It reduced LDL cholesterol by 16.4 %
- Lowered triglycerides by 3.5 % &
- Raised HDL by 2.3 %
Hence proved green tea may turn out to be very beneficial for people suffering from cholesterol. Although, more researches need to be carried out to see the effects of cholesterol activity on different individuals.
People who have high levels of cholesterol should include green tea twice a day.
How Much Green Tea Should You Drink for Acne?
Green tea is now being used in many cosmetic products due to tot healing properties. It is known to be best for clear skin, reducing damage caused by UV rays of the sun, and also may clear your skin by treating acne.
The exact dosage of drinking green tea is not specified anywhere but starting from two cups a day is a good idea.
Green tea eliminates toxins from the body & repairs cell damage. It would prove to be great for your skin. Take precaution to drink green tea with our sugar and sweeteners, the sugar may aggregate the problem of acne.
Drinking both cold and hot green tea brews is beneficial for skincare, along with this you can apply topical skin creams or masks made from green tea. You can also make homemade green tea cream for the skin which will be more natural and effective for acne.
How Much Green Tea Is Too Much?
Yes, it’s possible to drink too much green tea! Although it depends on the individual’s how much caffeine their body can take.
Drinking more than 6 cups of green tea is not recommended.
Pregnant ladies and people with certain health issues like acid reflux, anxiety, sleeping disorders etc. should stick to 2 cups of warm green tea daily.
Up to 8 cups of old brewed green tea is safe to consume for a healthy individual.
To achieve their goal some people might overdo drinking green tea daily. However, this does not increase the benefits but harms the body.
Effects By Over Doze of Drinking Green Tea:
When you drink a lot of green tea daily it affects your health and may impact the weaker areas of your body. The following are the negative effects of too much green tea on the body.
Absorption of Folic Acid
Folic acid is a key vitamin that is recommended by doctors to pregnant ladies or the ones trying to conceive. The tannins found in green tea reduce the absorption of folic acid in the body. Therefore, if you are pregnant or trying, don’t use green tea for treating any other symptom like weight loss, etc. Stay to the limit of 2 cups a day.
Interference with Iron
A lot of tannins in the body will also decrease the absorption of iron. Thus, individuals that are suffering from anemia or have iron deficiency should be careful while consuming green tea.
Never take it with meals or medicines.
Consult your doctor and start taking iron supplements if you don’t want to be left alone by not drinking green tea and reaping its benefits.
Anxiety
Taking green tea at certain times may not be feasible for certain people. It may cause heart palpitations, anxiety, and even sleeping disorders.
If you face all these symptoms then reduce green tea intake, especially taking it later in the evening or late at night.
Caffeine Dependence
Some people may be sensitive to caffeine.
Drinking if every day may make your body dependent on caffeine and face withdrawal symptoms. These may include headaches, feeling of drowsiness, and irritability when you don’t take the drink anymore.
USDA states that green tea has about 28.8 mg of caffeine per brewed bag. The daily intake recommendation is 200-300 mg of caffeine.
With this, you may safely take green tea daily, but if followed by these symptoms it means it’s too much for your body.
Conclusion:
Green tea is undoubtedly a great drink rich in antioxidants and is all unfermented. This increases its benefits.
Drinking green tea improves cardiovascular health, reduced weight and cholesterol levels, is good for the skin, and prevents diabetes.
Green tea benefits exceeds its effects. Still drinking green tea has certain limitations because of the caffeine present in it.
When you take it in recommended amounts it becomes useful for the body. So, don’t exceed 6-9 cups of hot cups of green tea.
You can take 16 cups of cold brewed green tea.
