Although experts are divided on exactly how healthy green tea, there is no doubt that it has some health benefits. The following are the ones that have some scientific research behind them.
Firstly, green tea shares all the health benefits that are thought to come from black tea, except in a more effective form, as the tea is fresher. Tea can help reduce your chances of getting heart disease by up to half, as well as fight dental plaque and cavities (although it will also stain your teeth if you don't make sure to drink plenty of water and brush regularly, so watch out).
Drinking tea also burns more calories than just taking caffeine in pill form, as your body has to cool down the hot drink once it is inside you, and that takes energy. Tea can often burn more calories than it contains, meaning that could potentially help you to lose weight if you drink enough of it.
Strangely enough, tea is also thought to affect the colour of your hair if you drink it in sufficient quantities. Black tea will make your hair darker, while green tea will make it a little redder - it sounds too far-fetched to be true, but many women swear by it, particularly in India.
Unfortunately, there is also no shortage of people willing to claim that green tea will help you with whatever condition is fashionable at the moment. For that reason, read this list with some scepticism - it's up to you if you want to believe in green tea, or if it makes you personally feel better, but little has been proven scientifically either way. Green tea has been mooted as a cure for cancer, Alzheimer's, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, cardiovascular disease and HIV. But if it worked, surely we'd all be drinking it by now?
