Green Tea
Introduction:
Green tea is a beverage that's garnered universal acclaim for its extensive clinically proven health benefits. Originating from southeast Asia, green tea is considered by many to be a superfood, and it is rich in powerful compounds such as antioxidants and polyphenols. Interestingly, though, virtually all tea comes from the same plant: Camellia sinensis. So what exactly makes green tea stand above its black and oolong counterparts, and how can drinking it prove to be beneficial for athletes?
One Plant, Many Drinks:
Though some varieties of the plant exist, it's true that any type of tea can be made from the leaves of any Camellia sinensis plant. What makes green tea unique is how the leaves are processed. The leaves are quickly heated via pan firing or steaming almost immediately after harvesting and then dried in order to prevent any oxidation from happening. This allows the leaves to retain its iconic green color and have its grassy, slightly bitter taste.
Contrarily, when making black tea, the leaves of Camellia sinensis are left to fully oxidize before they are treated with heat and then dried. The process of oxidation turns the leaves black, which gives black tea a maltier or fruitier taste, and it also makes it fundamentally different from green tea as far as their compound makeup post-brew. For example, while green tea is plentiful in the antioxidant EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate), black tea forms beneficial theaflavins in the oxidation process.
Green Tea's Benefits:
Green tea's lack of oxidation lets it retain a lot of the unique and healthful compounds that make it so lauded. Green tea leaves are rich in catechins, a type of polyphenol that has strong antioxidant properties and helps prevent cell damage. They also contain a lot of the aforementioned EGCG, which is a type of catechin that may prevent the brain from aging. The compound L-theanine, also found in green tea, can perform the same anti-aging function and help with cognitive function and mood. As a whole, green tea has also shown promise in helping people burn fat, lose weight, lower their risk of some cancers & heart disease, and even live longer.
Green Tea In Athletes:
Drinking green tea has been shown to benefit athletes in two main ways: it gets new energy into highly active muscle cells and it makes recovery speedier by preventing cellular damage after exercise.
Green tea helps generate new energy by allowing the body to yield fuel from the body's existing fat cells instead of from the carbohydrates it consumes. It then improves the body's glucose tolerance and insulin secretion, which then lets the body more efficiently process this fuel. Finally, it increases the rate at which the body's cell's mitochondria produce ATP, which turns this fuel into real-world practical power.
Green tea also aids athletes recover from intense bouts of exercise. It does this using its high concentration of antioxidants, which reduce oxidative damage to muscle cells, from both acute and long-term damage. This helps reduce inflammation throughout the body, and this hastened recovery is invaluable for high-performance athletes who always need to be at their best shape.
Conclusion:
It is safe to say that drinking a cup a day of this herbal goodness will likely result in various health benefits across the board, especially if one is an athlete. Of course, everything should be in moderation; teas have caffeine, and consuming that in excess can cause irritability and insomnia, among other symptoms. But from mental acuity to increased longevity, there's no telling how green tea— or any beverage derived from Camellia sinensis— can be downright tea-riffic to one's life.
Sources:
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“Drinking Green Tea Is a Healthy Habit.” News, 7 Mar. 2024, www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/green-tea-healthy-habit/.
“Green Tea: Health Benefits, Side Effects, and Research.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/269538. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.
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What Is Green Tea?, www.teatulia.com/tea-101/what-is-green-tea.htm. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.
Whittle, Tom. “What Are the Benefits of Green Tea to Athletes?” Mission, Mission, 22 May 2020, drink-mission.com/blogs/mission/green-tea.