A new study, published in the 1Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry1, found that green tea consumption improved gut health by populating healthy bacteria in the intestines and reducing leaky gut. So what does this have to do with leaky gut and intestinal bacteria? The researchers also noted that the mice in the high-fat, green tea group and the regular diet, green tea group had decreased leaky gut symptoms and healthier bacteria in their GI tract. “This study provides evidence that green tea encourages the growth of good gut bacteria, and that leads to a series of benefits that significantly lower the risk of obesity,” said Richard Bruno, a professor of human nutrition at the Ohio State University and the study’s lead author, in a statement. Bruno points out that further research on humans is needed to determine how much tea a person would need to drink to gain these benefits but that consuming green tea throughout the day with food would be an excellent place to start. If you’re looking to get in on these benefits, you’ll want to consider some of these green-tea drinking tips: