Yogi Tea is an herbal tea company offering a selection of black teas, green teas, berry teas, caffeine-free herbal teas, and more. Each flavor contains a different set of ingredients and claims to provide a different health benefit.
Yogi's Green Tea Super Antioxidant blend is a green tea containing grape seed extract, licorice root, lemongrass, and other herbs. The company claims the tea supplies antioxidants to the body and helps to reduce free radicals.
In this article, we explore whether or not these claims are true. Does drinking Yogi's Green Tea Super Antioxidant blend actually offer health benefits?
Nutrition Information
One tea bag makes 8 fluid ounces of tea and contains:
●Calories: 0
●Caffeine: 15 mg
●Organic grape seed extract: 27 mg
●Proprietary blend of herbs: 2000 mg
○Organic lemongrass
○Organic green tea leaf
○Organic licorice root
○Organic jasmine green tea leaf
○Organic alfalfa leaf
○Organic burdock root
○Organic dandelion root
○Organic amla fruit
○Organic belleric myrobalan fruit
○Organic chebulic myrobalan fruit
Potential Health Benefits of Yogi Green Tea
Green tea contains polyphenols, a family of organic compounds that may have some health-promoting properties.
Grape seed extract, another ingredient found in Yogi's Green Tea Super Antioxidant blend, contains flavonoids, a class of polyphenol that has been shown to have antioxidant effects and other protective properties.
Reduced Risk of Heart Disease
Research on animals suggests that drinking tea may have some health benefits, mainly due to its high polyphenol content. While human studies have yet to prove it conclusively, they show promise. Observational research shows that daily consumption of 2-3 cups of tea may reduce risk of heart disease and stroke.
Also, flavonoids found in tea might help keep blood vessel lining smooth and elastic. A study found that regular consumption of green and oolong tea over the course of a year reduced the risk of developing hypertension.
Research has also found that green tea extracts resulted in slightly lower blood pressure in obese and overweight adults. But, due to the small number of participants in the study, more studies are necessary to verify its results.
Increased Alertness
Green tea contains caffeine, and consuming caffeinated beverages through the day seems to help maintain your alertness.
Reduced Risk of Cancerous Cell Growth
The polyphenols present in green tea, especially epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and epigallocatechin (ECG):
- Have antioxidant effects and may protect the DNA in cells from free radical damage
- Have demonstrated the ability to slow down tumor cell growth in laboratory and animal studies
- May protect against ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation damage
- May help to improve immune system function
- May help to activate enzymes that can help protect against tumor development
Reduced Breakdown of Collagen
Grape seed extract contains a chemical called proanthocyanidin, which may help protect the health of your blood vessels by slowing down the breakdown of collagen.
Potential Risks of Yogi Green Tea
It should be safe for you to consume up to 8 cups of green tea per day. But it might useful to consider the following before preparing or consuming Yogi's Green Tea Super Antioxidant blend:
Esophageal Cancer
Research has demonstrated a link between the consumption of hot tea and an increased risk of esophageal cancer, suggesting that high-temperature beverages may cause cell injury and could lead to cancer. The risk comes from the temperature of the beverage, and not the contents of green tea itself.
Pregnancy Concerns
You should limit your caffeine intake to no more than about 200 milligrams per day during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. This is because caffeine passes into breast milk and can possibly affect a breastfeeding infant. Green tea has the potential to increase the risk of birth defects related to folic acid deficiency.
Medication Interference
If you are taking medications for high blood pressure or heart conditions, you may want to avoid green tea. In large amounts, green tea may reduce the effectiveness of the beta blocker nadolol, a drug commonly used to treat conditions related to high blood pressure and heart conditions.
Grape seed extract may be unsafe in the case of a bleeding disorder, an upcoming surgery, or if you take blood thinners, such as aspirin or warfarin.
