Health Benefits of Tea

Tea: It Does the Body Good(Circulation: The Journal of the American Heart
Studies that support the health benefits of tea drinkingAssociation, 2001).
keep filling the headlines. There's simply no denying thatCancer Prevention:
a daily spot of tea does the body good.- Green tea could help stem esophageal cancer.
Even though researchers can't quite agree on every(Harvard Medical School, 2004).
aspect, I'm sold on the fact that a few cups a day will- Green and black tea can slow down the spread of
do its best to protect me from heart disease, a stroke,prostate cancer (Center for Human Nutrition at
cancer, and more.UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine, 2004).
What Makes Tea Good for the Body?- Tea may protect against cancer caused by smoking.
Tea contains high levels of antioxidants, some of which(Journal of Nutrition, 2003).
are called polyphenols, flavonoids, and catechins, and all- Green tea and white tea fight colon cancer (Linus
of which take on the "free radicals" in the body andPauling Institute at Oregon State University study,
prevent them from harming the healthy cells on board.Carcinogenesis, 2003).
In other words, sending in antioxidants is disease- Hot tea may lower risk of some skin cancers
prevention in its finest form. Antioxidants are ready(University of Arizona study, Cancer Epidemiology,
and waiting not only in teas but also in several fruits,Biomarkers and Prevention (Vol. 9, No. 7), 2001).
vegetables, nuts, meats, and even wines (see my- Green tea consumption may lower stomach cancer
health benefits of wine article).risk (University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA)
If that were not enough, tea also contains flourideSchool of Public Health study, International Journal of
which benefits your teeth and has bacteria killingCancer (Vol. 92: 600-604), 2001).
properties which helps control bad breath and theHypertension-Reducing Benefits:
formation of plaque.- Green and oolong teas reduce risk of hypertension
Are All Teas Equally Good for the Body?(National Cheng Kung University study, Archives of
This is a question researchers are still squabbling over.Internal Medicine, 2004).
Does green tea have more antioxidants than blackImmunity-Boosting Benefits
tea? Should I drink instant tea or loose leaf tea for- Tea believed to boost the body's defenses
better health benefits? Is hot tea better than iced tea?(Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
And here's what it comes down to:2003)
- Higher quality teas may have more catechinLeukemia-Fighting Benefits:
antioxidants than lower quality teas.- A green tea component helps kill leukemia cells
- White tea has more antioxidants than any other tea.(Mayo Clinic, 2004).
- Green tea has more catechin antioxidants than blackAlzheimer's-Fighting Benefits:
tea since black tea goes through more processing.- Drinking tea might delay Alzheimer's Disease
- Unfermented rooibos tea has more polyphenol(Newcastle University's Medicinal Plant Research
antioxidants than fermented rooibos.Centre study, Phytotherapy Research, 2004).
- Freshly brewed teas have more polyphenolAIDS-Fighting Benefits:
antioxidants than instant or bottled teas.- Tea may play a role as an AIDS fighter (University of
- More researchers seem to agree that brewed (coldTokyo, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology,
or hot) or caffeinated tea has more antioxidants than2003).
instant teas.In Conclusion:
Here's a short preview of the hundreds of recentSo how do you get started in doing your body some
studies that boast the health benefits of tea and itsgood with tea?
antioxidants:To get the most health benefits out of your teas,
Heart Benefits:choose high-quality loose leaf teas from your local or
- Study finds tea drinkers have lower blood pressureonline tea shop. Brew it up and enjoy. And of course,
(Archives of Internal Medicine, 2004).don't throw out the idea of enjoying instant or bottled
- Tea may lower cholesterol and protect against heartteas when you're on the go. You just might have to
disease (Journal of Nutrition, 2003).drink a little more.
- Black tea may lower "bad" cholesterol (United StatesDon't wait any longer. Sip, savor, and fight disease
Department of Agriculture (USDA) Beltsville Humantoday. It's never too late to enjoy the many health
Nutrition Research Center, 2003).benefits of tea!
- Tea consumption may help heart disease patients