Green tea has long been seen as a healthier choice than a builder’s brew – and now a new study suggests it may even pack more of a nutritional punch than an apple.
The findings, published in the journal Food and Function, looked at the amount of flavanols found in common fruit and vegetables.
Flavanols are natural plant compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, and have been linked to better heart health.
Researchers ranked the top foods and drinks according to their flavanol content and surprisingly, green tea came in fourth – ahead of apples, blueberries and strawberries.
But that does not mean you can start treating your fruit bowl as redundant, says registered dietitian Nichola Ludlam-Raine.
‘It’s important not to compare green tea directly with fruit,’ she tells the Daily Mail.
‘While a cup of green tea may contain more flavanols than an apple, apples also provide fibre, Vitamin C and a range of other nutrients, as well as contributing to your five-a-day. Green tea should complement a healthy diet, not replace fruit and vegetables.’
With that in mind, we asked experts to examine some of the biggest health claims surrounding green tea – and whether your daily cup really deserves its virtuous reputation.
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Do the health benefits of green tea live up to the hype?
‘Green tea is certainly one of the healthier drinks you can choose, but some of the claims made about it are exaggerated,’ says Ms Ludlam-Raine.
Green tea comes from the same plant as ordinary black tea – Camellia sinensis – but it is processed differently. The leaves used for green tea are quickly steamed or pan-fired soon after picking, which helps preserve their green colour and many of their natural plant compounds.
Black tea, such as PG Tips, is made from leaves that have been allowed to oxidise, giving it a darker colour, stronger flavour and slightly different nutritional profile.
As well as the flavanols highlighted by the latest research, green tea contains catechins and L-theanine, two compounds found naturally in tea leaves.
Catechins are powerful plant antioxidants, with the best-known being EGCG. Because green tea is less oxidised than black tea, it tends to retain higher levels of these protective compounds.
In the body, catechins help tackle oxidative stress – the cell damage linked to ageing, inflammation and chronic disease – and have been associated with better heart and metabolic health.
EGCG has also been studied for its potential effects on inflammation, cholesterol, blood sugar and fat metabolism, although experts stress it is not a magic weight-loss fix.
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L-theanine, meanwhile, is an amino acid that helps give green tea a smoother, calmer effect. It is thought to support relaxed focus, taking the edge off caffeine jitters while still helping you feel alert.
‘For most healthy adults, two to four cups of green tea a day can comfortably fit into a balanced diet,’ explains Ms Ludlam-Raine.
‘That amount provides a useful source of polyphenols without pushing caffeine intake too high, especially compared with several cups of coffee.’
What was the flavanol study about?
Researchers analysed more than 30,000 adults in the UK and US to see whether eating five-a-day was enough to provide high levels of flavanols – plant compounds linked with heart health.
They compared people’s intake with the 500mg-a-day level used in the COSMOS trial, a major US study that linked flavanol supplements with a 27 per cent lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
But fewer than one in four people who were already meeting fruit and vegetable guidelines were getting that amount. The researchers also found that five portions of the fruit and veg people typically eat would almost never provide enough flavanols to reach the 500mg target.
‘Many people assume that their five-a-day fruit and veg automatically provides enough beneficial plant compounds to support heart health, but this study suggests that’s not necessarily the case,’ Dr Tim Bond, from the Tea Advisory Panel, tells the Daily Mail.
‘The authors concluded that while fruit and vegetables remain fundamental to a healthy diet, following current dietary guidelines alone does not provide the levels of flavanols associated with improved cardiovascular outcomes.
‘People wanting to close that specific gap should look at flavanol-rich foods and drinks such as black tea, green tea, oolong tea and matcha, as well as apples and berries, if they want to maximise their intake of these potentially heart-protective compounds.’
Is green tea low caffeine?
For people trying to avoid the internal frenzy that can come with coffee, green tea is often seen as a gentler alternative. However, it still contains caffeine – just considerably less than a cup of coffee.
A cup of green tea contains around 30 to 50mg of caffeine, depending on how it is brewed. That is significantly less than an equivalent serving of coffee, which typically contains around 80 to 100mg.
For most healthy adults, up to 400mg of caffeine a day is considered safe. However, people who are pregnant or breastfeeding are advised to keep their intake below 200mg a day.
‘It’s sensible to avoid drinking it late in the evening if you’re sensitive to caffeine or struggle with sleep,’ explains Ms Ludlam-Raine.
Matcha is a powdered form of green tea made by grinding the whole tea leaf
‘I personally drink green tea with lemon, coffee and black tea every day. None of them are universally ‘better’ – they simply have different strengths.
‘Both green tea and coffee provide beneficial polyphenols and have been associated with health benefits in observational studies. Coffee generally contains more caffeine, while green tea contains unique catechins.
‘Green tea may be a better choice for people who are sensitive to caffeine, or who want something a little gentler, but coffee has one of the strongest evidence bases when it comes to associations with lower risks of several chronic diseases – provided it isn’t loaded with excessive sugar, syrups or cream.’
Can drinking green tea help you lose weight?
Although green tea is often promoted as a fat-burning drink, studies have suggested that its effect on weight loss is modest at best.
‘The evidence suggests green tea may have a very small effect on metabolism and fat oxidation, largely due to its combination of caffeine and catechins,’ says Ms Ludlam-Raine.
‘However, any impact on weight loss is modest at best and certainly not enough to produce meaningful changes on its own.’
A 2012 Cochrane Review found that green tea preparations may lead to a very small amount of weight loss in overweight or obese adults, but the effect was not statistically significant and unlikely to be clinically meaningful.
It also found that green tea did not help to maintain weight loss.
WHAT SHOULD A BALANCED DIET LOOK LIKE?
Meals should be based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally wholegrain, according to the NHS
Eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day. All fresh, frozen, dried and canned fruit and vegetables count
Base meals on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally wholegrain
30 grams of fibre a day: This is the same as eating all of the following: 5 portions of fruit and vegetables, 2 whole-wheat cereal biscuits, 2 thick slices of wholemeal bread and large baked potato with the skin on
Have some dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soya drinks) choosing lower fat and lower sugar options
Eat some beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins (including 2 portions of fish every week, one of which should be oily)
Choose unsaturated oils and spreads and consuming in small amounts
Drink 6-8 cups/glasses of water a day
Adults should have less than 6g of salt and 20g of saturated fat for women or 30g for men a day
Source: NHS Eatwell Guide
Ms Ludlam-Raine, author of How Not To Eat Ultra Processed, adds: ‘If you’re hoping to lose weight, focusing on a balanced diet, regular physical activity, adequate sleep and sustainable lifestyle habits to create an energy/calorie deficit will have a far greater impact than adding green tea.’
Are green tea supplements safe?
Like almost every other ‘health’ food, green tea has also been repackaged as a supplement – but experts warn that taking its active compounds in concentrated doses is not the same as drinking a few cups a day.
Green tea itself is generally considered safe for most people, but high-dose green tea extract supplements are a different matter.
Some reports have linked concentrated extracts to liver injury, particularly when taken in large amounts or on an empty stomach. Crucially, this risk appears to be associated with supplements, rather than ordinary cups of brewed green tea.
‘I would be much more cautious with supplements than with the drink itself,’ says Ms Ludlam-Raine.
‘Green tea extract supplements can contain highly concentrated amounts of catechins that you would never get from drinking tea alone.
‘In rare cases, some have been linked to liver damage, and they simply aren’t necessary for most people.
‘If you enjoy green tea, it is generally preferable to drink it rather than take it in supplement form.’
Is matcha healthier?
Matcha is a powdered form of green tea made by grinding the whole tea leaf. Unlike standard green tea, where the leaves are infused in hot water and then removed, matcha means you consume the leaf itself – so it naturally contains higher concentrations of catechins and other plant compounds.
However, it also tends to contain more caffeine than ordinary green tea, although usually still less than a cup of coffee.
‘Matcha can be part of a healthy diet, but it’s not a miracle food,’ says Ms Ludlam-Raine.
‘It may provide more beneficial plant compounds than a standard cup of green tea, but it still doesn’t offer the fibre, vitamins and minerals you would get from eating whole fruit or vegetables.
‘It’s also worth being careful with coffee shop versions, which often come with a hefty dose of added sugar, syrups or sweetened milk.’
