Normally, when you feed mice a high-fat, high-fructose diet (a bad diet for humans too), they develop a type of insulin resistance in the brain. This brain insulin resistance results in disruption of memory and general neuro-inflammation.
But when mice were given a key ingredient in green tea, the effects of this bad diet were alleviated. That’s very good news for we humans. The ingredient given to the mice was EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate), which is the most abundant catechin and biologically active component in green tea.
“Green tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water, and is grown in at least 30 countries,” said Xuebo Liu, Ph.D., a researcher at the College of Food Science and Engineering, Northwest A&F University, in Yangling, China. “The ancient habit of drinking green tea may be a more acceptable alternative to medicine when it comes to combatting obesity, insulin resistance, and memory impairment.”
How much green tea should you drink?
Based on numerous studies that demonstrate the health benefits of drinking green tea, it’s optimal to drink three to five cups of green tea per day.