Green tea, a powerful antioxidant

What exactly is an antioxidant?

Before finding out if green tea is good for your health, let's start at the beginning: what exactly are antioxidants? Why are they good and what are their benefits?

Antioxidants are molecules naturally present in many foods whose function is to protect our body from premature ageing by combating the action of free radicals.

Antioxidants therefore fight against these free radicals, which damage our cells and can even encourage the development of certain diseases.

The reason we call them antiOXIDANTS is because their role is to fight against the oxidation caused by free radicals. As you can see, antioxidants are essential to our body for our long-term health and well-being.

And for good reason: antioxidants act on almost every part of our body:

• For the skin, by preserving its youthfulness. Antioxidants can combat skin sagging and the formation of wrinkles. This is one of the reasons why you will often see the word antioxidant in your cosmetics.
• For the heart: antioxidants can protect the arteries and lower bad cholesterol levels. In short, they help prevent the development of cardiovascular diseases.
• For the eyes, they help prevent cellular degeneration
• For the body: by preserving cell youthfulness, they play a role in the prevention of cancers, inflammatory diseases, etc.

Which foods are rich in antioxidants?

In the antioxidant family, we have:

• • vitamin C

• • vitamin A

• • vitamin E

• • Polyphenols

• • carotenoids

• • zinc, etc.

Antioxidants are therefore easily found in our diet, coming from varied sources. Spices such as turmeric or paprika are rich in vitamin E. Vitamin C is found in high amounts in citrus fruits, as well as in Acerola or goji berries. A varied and healthy diet rich in vegetables is therefore designed to meet all your needs. And with that, what shall we drink?

Green tea, the most powerful antioxidant tea

Ahead of black tea and white tea, green tea is the tea richest in antioxidants. The reason? Its polyphenol (catechin) content, antioxidant molecules that are beneficial to health.

According to the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES), a cup of green tea can contain up to 400 mg of polyphenols. It has been shown in particular that polyphenols (catechins) can be used to regulate immune responses related to allergies, the intestinal mucosa, and antitumour immunity. Consuming green tea therefore helps strengthen the body's antioxidant and natural defences.

In short, the polyphenol content of green tea makes it a potentially very beneficial food for the immune system.

Does drinking green tea help prevent the appearance of wrinkles?

There is believed to be a link between wrinkles and green tea, as shown by its presence in certain skincare cosmetics. However, let us be sensible: even though green tea is acclaimed for its astringent and anti-wrinkle properties, drinking several cups will not bring back the skin of your twenties. In any case, at Kusmi, we believe that all women are naturally beautiful!

Are the antioxidants in green tea good for preventing cavities?

Other benefits of green tea: its effect on plaque buildup and cavity prevention. Once again, it is the famous polyphenols, a source of antioxidants in green tea, that are believed to have antibacterial properties. They help reduce the adhesion of glucose to teeth. Great news for all lovers of organic green tea!

Which green tea should you choose to enjoy the antioxidants?