The Western world may have just woken up from the benefits of green tea, but it has existed in China and Japan for centuries as the favorite drink for the classes and the masses. The Chinese and Japanese have always believed that a regular intake of green tea means a longer, healthier life. In the early 1990s, scientists proved that this belief was true when a survey of 3,000 Japanese women showed that those who drank green tea lived longer than those who did not.

Now I come to the ‘healthier’ part. Further research has also proven that green tea protects against heart disease, liver disease and acts as an antibacterial agent for the immune system. The reason for this is the presence of strong antioxidants in green tea. In essence, green tea contains a group of chemicals called catechin polyphenols, in particular, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). That is a mouthful, but EGCG is a very powerful antioxidant that hinders the growth of carcinogenic cells and even, according to some studies, kills cancer cells without damaging healthy tissue. EGCG also lowers LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol levels and reduces the risk of blood clots, which in turn reduces the risk of thrombosis, the main cause of heart attacks and strokes.

Doesn’t that seem to do much for an antioxidant? But I’m not done yet. Green tea also contains caffeine, vitamins such as E and C and various minerals. Caffeine is, as the world knows, a mild antidepressant that stimulates skeletal muscles and supports muscle contraction, while vitamins and minerals hinder the aging process.

And I haven’t even told you about the benefits of weight loss from green tea. In simple terms, green tea burns fat, much of it. It has what is scientifically called thermogenic properties, meaning it actively promotes fat oxidation.

In fact, a Japanese study conducted on two separate groups of men of similar size (based on body mass index and waist circumference) has shown that if all other conditions such as diet and calorie intake remain the same, people who ingest a larger amount of polyphenols present in green tea will lose more weight than those who have taken a lower volume of polyphenols.