1. Green Tea Contains Bioactive Compounds That Improve Health

Green tea is more than just liquid. Many of the plant compounds in the tea leaves do make it into the final drink, which contains large amounts of important nutrients (1Trusted Source).

Tea is rich in polyphenols that have effects like reducing inflammation and helping to fight cancer.

Green tea is about 30 percent polyphenols by weight, including large amounts of a catechin called EGCG. Catechins are natural antioxidants that help prevent cell damage and provide other benefits.

2. Compounds in Green Tea Can Improve Brain Function and Make You Smarter

Green tea does more than just keep you awake, it can also make you smarter. The key active ingredient is caffeine, which is a known stimulant.

It doesn't contain as much as coffee, but enough to produce a response without causing the "jittery" effects associated with too much caffeine.

What caffeine does in the brain is to block an inhibitory neurotransmitter called Adenosine. This way, it actually increases the firing of neurons and the concentration of neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine.

3. Green Tea Increases Fat Burning and Improves Physical Performance

If you look at the ingredients list for any fat burning supplement, chances are that green tea will be on there.

This is because green tea has been shown to increase fat burning and boost the metabolic rate, in human controlled trials. In one study in 10 healthy men, green tea increased energy expenditure by 4%.

4. Antioxidants in Green Tea May Lower Your Risk of Some Types of Cancer Cancer is caused by uncontrolled growth of cells. It is one of the world's leading causes of death.

Breast cancer:A meta-analysis of observational studies found that women who drank the most green tea had a 20-30% lower risk of developing breast cancer, the most common cancer in women.

Prostate cancer: One study found that men drinking green tea had a 48% lower risk of developing prostate cancer, which is the most common cancer in men.
Colorectal cancer: An analysis of 29 studies showed that those drinking

green tea were up to 42% less likely to develop colorectal cancer.
5. Green Tea May Protect Your Brain in Old Age, Lowering Your Risk of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's

Not only can green tea improve brain function in the short term, it may also protect your brain in old age. Alzheimer's disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease in humans and a leading cause of dementia.

Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease and involves the death of dopamine producing neurons in the brain.

6. Green Tea Can Kill Bacteria, Which Improves Dental Health and Lowers Your Risk of Infection

The catechins in green tea also have other biological effects. Some studies show that they can kill bacteria and inhibit viruses like the influenza virus, potentially lowering your risk of infections.

Streptococcus mutans is the primary harmful bacteria in the mouth. It causes plaque formation and is a leading contributor to cavities and tooth decay.

7. Green Tea May Lower Your Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a disease that has reached epidemic proportions in the past few decades and now afflicts about 400 million people worldwide.

This disease involves having elevated blood sugar levels in the context of insulin resistance or an inability to produce insulin.

8. Green Tea May Reduce Your Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular diseases, including heart disease and stroke, are the biggest causes of death in the world. Studies show that green tea can improve some of the main risk factors for these diseases. This includes total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.

Green tea also dramatically increases the antioxidant capacity of the blood, which protects the LDL particles from oxidation, which is one part of the pathway towards heart disease.

9. Green Tea Can Help You Lose Weight and Lower Your Risk of Obesity

Given that green tea can boost the metabolic rate in the short term, it makes sense that it could help you lose weight. Several studies show that green tea leads to decreases in body fat, especially in the abdominal area.

One of these studies was a 12-week randomized controlled trial in 240 men and women. In this study, the green tea group had significant decreases in body fat percentage, body weight, waist circumference and belly fat.

10. Green Tea May Help You Live Longer

Of course, we all have to die eventually. That is inevitable.

However, given that green tea drinkers are at a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer, it makes sense that it could help you live longer.

Death of all causes: 23% lower in women, 12% lower in men.
Death from heart disease: 31% lower in women, 22% lower in men.
Death from stroke: 42% lower in women, 35% lower in men.