I acquired a habit of drinking tea from my parents many years ago, and I still love tea till today.

The only difference is that I now drink tea without sugar or milk and drink more green tea instead of black tea.

So, let’s talk about green tea, which I now love very much.

Green tea is one of the better-studied beverages in nutrition research. The strongest evidence is around its benefits for cardiometabolic health.

Its positive effects on cardiovascular and metabolic health include improvements in cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and glucose metabolism.

When I discovered green tea, I did some research and discovered some benefits that make green tea special.

There are many teas out there, but not all teas are real teas. Herbal teas like chamomile tea are not real teas.

Here are some basic and common types of real tea:

Black tea – the most common.

Green tea – now very popular.

White tea – not well known that much, but quite powerful.

Oolong tea – I drink it once in a while, but not much because of its caffeine content.

They all come from a plant called Camellia sinensis, and the different teas differ based on the level of oxidation during the processing.

Green tea is minimally oxidised compared with black tea.

It’s high in Polyphenols, which are important bioactive compounds. One of them is called catechins, which include EGCG: epigallocatechin-3-gallate.

Green tea also contains caffeine, L-theanine, and other polyphenols. I buy caffeine-free green tea.

What makes EGCG important?

EGCG is particularly interesting because research shows it plays a role in pathways involved in:

oxidative stress – a big contributor to long-term diseases and CVD.

inflammation – another root cause of long-term diseases.

lipid metabolism – cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

and glucose metabolism, including blood glucose levels.

📌 Green tea and cholesterol

Several studies show that green tea can produce a small reduction in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol.

Below are the results of 14 randomised controlled trials involving 1,136 adults found approximately:

📍 Total cholesterol ↓ 7.2 mg/dL
📍 LDL cholesterol ↓ 2.2 mg/dL
📍 No significant change in HDL cholesterol.

How might it work?

Green tea catechins may influence:

📍 cholesterol absorption
📍 hepatic cholesterol metabolism
📍 LDL receptor activity
📍 bile-acid metabolism
📍 oxidative stress
📍 inflammation

So, I would encourage you to see and drink green tea as a potentially useful dietary addition for cholesterol management.

📌 Green tea and triglycerides

From research, it has an impact on lowering triglycerides, but not as much as it lowers cholesterol. Triglycerides are a big player in cardiovascular disease.

📌 Green tea and blood pressure

It’s been discovered to provide a small reduction in blood pressure.

Based on research, here’s how green tea lowers high blood pressure:

📍 Systolic BP: ↓ 1.08 mmHg
📍 Diastolic BP: ↓ 1.09 mmHg

How does this happen?

The antioxidant/phytonutrient EGCG may:

📍 improve endothelial function (interior of arteries)
📍 increase the production of nitric oxide, which dilates blood vessels
📍 reduce oxidative stress
📍 improve vascular function

I must add that the caffeine content in green tea can temporarily raise blood pressure in some people. That’s why I only drink caffeine-free green tea. Also, a lot of teas are planted with lots of pesticides, so I only buy organic.

📌 Green tea and blood sugar and insulin resistance

Insulin resistance is said to occur when insulin, which acts as a key, can’t unlock your cells and carry excess blood sugar into your cells. Green tea may have favourable effects on glucose metabolism, but I won’t say that drinking green tea alone reverses insulin resistance or diabetes. It takes a number of pillars to do that. It can be added to a diet designed to improve insulin sensitivity.

📌 Green tea and weight management

Weight loss happens when you burn more calories or energy than you consume, creating an energy deficit. Catechins in green tea, when combined with caffeine, may increase energy or calorie breakdown and fat oxidation. It’s that combo that’s powerful. I mix organic caffeine-free green tea with pure cacao, which contains caffeine.

Clinical trials have found small reductions in body weight and waist circumference, but these effects are generally modest.

📌 Green tea and cardiovascular health

Did you know that evidence has generally associated tea consumption with lower risks of several cardiovascular outcomes? I love this!

Research found associations between tea consumption and lower risks of cardiac death, coronary artery disease, and stroke.

Research is still ongoing about these effects.

It’s believed that the catechins in green tea improve the endothelial function of the arteries, which reduces oxidative stress and thus improves vascular health.

In addition, these catechins improve LDL levels, which helps reduce cardiovascular risk.

📌 Green tea and inflammation

Inflammation, the chronic type, is a root cause of long-term illnesses. It’s been found that EGCG has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

This effect is not as powerful as its effect on cholesterol levels.

📌 Green tea and the gut microbiome

This is one area I find interesting because gut health is very important. 75% of the immune system is in the gut, and this makes good gut health important. At the moment, this is an emerging area.

It’s been discovered that the polyphenols in green tea can interact with your gut bacteria, and gut bacteria can in turn metabolise catechins into other bioactive compounds. What a powerful picture!

This is very promising, according to research.

📌 Green tea and cancer

Research is ongoing. At the moment, some observational studies have investigated green tea in relation to several cancers. Some studies have reported associations with lower risks for certain cancers, but findings are inconsistent across cancer types.

According to science, green tea contains biologically active polyphenols that are being studied extensively for cancer-related mechanisms, but clinical evidence is still insufficient about its use in cancer treatment.

I’d encourage you to eat a good diet, drink the right beverages, and enjoy a healthy lifestyle that protects you from cancer and heart disease.

📌 Green tea and brain health

Both EGCG and L-theanine contained in green tea are generating a lot of interest in both cognitive and neurological research.

According to some human studies, its potential benefits are:

📍 attention
📍 alertness
📍 cognition
📍 stress response

The combination of L-theanine and caffeine in green tea is being studied for its effects on attention and mental performance.

However, according to research, there isn’t enough strong evidence to say green tea prevents dementia or neurodegenerative disease.

📌 Green tea and liver health

The formulation determines its safety or toxicity to your liver.

This is another area where tea versus concentrated extract is extremely important.

Normal green tea consumption appears generally safe for most people.

However, concentrated green tea extracts and high-dose supplements have been associated with liver injury in some individuals.

EFSA has concluded that green tea infusions are generally safe, while EGCG doses around 800 mg/day or higher from supplements may pose concerns for liver health.

This is an important distinction:

1 Cup of green tea ≠ concentrated green tea extract capsule.

I would therefore favour the beverage rather than high-dose extracts for general wellness. I prefer drinking the tea.

Please remember that high-dose green tea extract supplements are not equivalent to drinking green tea because of the liver-safety concerns.

How much green tea should you drink?

For general wellness, unsweetened brewed green tea is a reasonable choice.

A practical approach could be:

1–3 cups per day, depending on caffeine tolerance. I drink caffeine-free green tea.

You don’t need to drink huge quantities to obtain potential benefits.

And adding lots of sugar undermines some of the metabolic benefits.

⚠️ Who should be cautious? ‼️

Green tea contains caffeine, so people sensitive to caffeine may experience:

📍 insomnia
📍 anxiety/jitters
📍 palpitations
📍 headaches
📍 gastrointestinal discomfort

‼️Also, tea can reduce absorption of non-heme iron when consumed with meals. People with iron deficiency may therefore want to separate tea from iron-rich meals or iron supplements.‼️

I love green tea, and I drink 2 versions:

Organic Tick tock tea (not a proper tea because it’s from a different plant). It’s caffeine-free.

Organic caffeine-free green tea.

I encourage you to enjoy a cup or 2 daily.

Here’s to your health 🍵

📌 I am a clinical wellness strategist, and I help professionals and executives reverse long-term illnesses and restore wholeness using a natural wellness system.