A recent study has shown that if you drink five cups of green tea each day, you may reduce occurrences of psychological distress by up to 20 percent.
A study consisting of 42,093 Japanese individuals found that 2,774 people (approximately 6.6%) were victims of psychological stress. However, this number was significantly lower among green tea drinkers, suggesting that green tea can actually improve one’s psychological health.
According to estimates from WHO, over 450 million people throughout the world suffer from stress, and 17 percent of Europeans believe that stress could be the biggest health risk. The costs associated with stress are estimated at €20bn in Europe, and an amazing $200bn in the United States.
Previous studies have already shown that green tea and its extracts can have a positive impact on our health. In fact, studies have reported that the extracts may also help prevent Alzheimer’s and some kinds of cancer. In addition, they are said to improve cardiovascular and oral health as well as assist with weight management. While previous studies have shown these benefits, there had not been a large-scale study of the relationship between green tea and psychological distress until now.
After the researchers adjusted their results for various factors such as age, sex, BMI, alcohol consumption, diet, cigarette smoking, diet, history of disease, and other variables, they found a statistically significant inverse relationship between the consumption of green tea and psychological distress for individuals who drank five cups or more or green tea each day. This is in comparison to individuals who only had one cup or less each day.
Because the study was epidemiological in nature, the researchers could not offer evidence to suggest the active constituents related to the benefits. Further study will need to be done to clarify the bioactives and mechanisms in play. There are four primary polyphenols in fresh tea leaves – epicatechin (EC), epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epicatechin gallate (ECG), and epigallocatechin (EGC). A previous Japanese study (published in the journal Nutrition) concluded that these green tea extracts may, in fact, help offset the various signs associated with stressful lives, including physical and mental fatigue.
What Is Green Tea?
Essentially green tea comes from the same plants that “black tea” is made from. The significant difference is that the leaves have not been overly-processed and not only do they retain their fresh green color, but the health giving properties are relatively unharmed by the oxidation processes which create black tea. Black tea contains the same nutrients, antioxidants and phytochemicals as green tea, just in greatly reduced quantities.
Green tea is often cited as being the “healthiest beverage on the planet”. It is certainly a great alternative for those looking to gradually reduce their caffeine intake and get their stress under control.
..then green tea can be used for those who have adrenal fatigue?
Thank you!
Great point! Drinking a little green tea can be a good thing if you’re in the early stages of adrenal fatigue. However, in the later stages, when the hormonal depletion really starts to kick in, it is best to avoid all kinds of caffeine as much as possible.
Hi. I feel I am in deep adrenal fatigue. Can I ever drink caffeine again? How do I know when it is ok to?
Thx
If you feel really burned out, drinking caffeine is likely to make things worse. In fact if your adrenal insufficiency gets really bad then drinking caffeine often has little stimulative effect anyway. Eliminating caffeine is a really crucial part of a healthy recovery, but in the long term you should be able to reintroduce it! Check out my book for more info on making the right changes to your diet!
Whether there’s truth to this study or not, I still will continue drinking green tea. It’s good for my health.
So green tea can be helpful in the early stages of adrenal fatigue? I am curious as to what the symptoms of early as opposed to late is. I can feel the effects of caffeine clearly, when I consume it, I feel brighter, and clearer, and the aches and pains cease. But I’m trying to get caffeine under control, so I’ve stopped black tea, coffee, and soda. Am I “clear” to drink green tea?
It really depends person by person! Green tea is generally much less taxing on the adrenals and endocrine system. If you are completely fatigued all day and in late stage adrenal fatigue, then green tea is a bad idea. However, if you just feeling stressed/overworked and think that coffee might be contributing to this, switching to green tea can certainly help. It sounds like it might be a good option for you!
Hi Fawne what about organic black tea which is 98% caffeine free for late stages adrenal fatigue? Thank you kindly x
That should be OK!
Hi Fawne, I am new to this and was recently diagnosed with Adrenal Fatigue. I have very low levels of DHEA and Cortisol. I weaned off of coffee over the last couple of weeks and I am even more tired. I know that it takes time to adjust to the lack of caffeine. My question is if I could drink green tea. I don’t know how severe my level is at this point. Thank you. Gail
Green tea is usually OK, especially as it has been shown to reduce stress! Make sure you buy a high quality green tea though. Matcha is usually considered to have the best stress-relieving effects.
i drink goodwyn single origin high grown green tea.so in 1lt i use 2 to 3 spoons of green tea.is it ok and is it helpful.?
It depends from person to person, but it is usually quite helpful in reducing stress. Either way, its much better than regular tea!
I am really stressed out a lot because of my best friends, who now are not talking to me. These are the friends that I believed a lot and always tried to help them even when I was ill. But this scenario has been changed completely.
I currently drink 3 cups of Green Tea daily, it will help to reduce my stress……
Hi! Fawne I drink green tea with passion fruit is that ok.
Yes that sounds OK, as long as its unsweetened.
Does double brewing remove the caffeine? My naturopath suggested that to me as I’m typically sensitive to caffeine.
Hi J.T. I think your naturopath has got it very wrong! Double brewing actually increases the caffeine content.