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The Health Benefits of Tea

Tea is widely accepted as being good for health. As far back as the 3rd century BC the Chinese recommended tea to improve concentration and alertness. They referred to tea as the 'elixir of life'. Thomas Garraway, London's first tea merchant, advertised it as a cure-all. The following health benefits of tea are now widely recognised amongst health professionals:

Caffeine

Tea contains caffeine, a stimulant -

An average cup of green tea contains 8.4mg of caffeine

An average cup of oolong tea contains 12.6mg of caffeine

An average cup of black tea contains 40mg of caffeine

This compares with -

A cup of instant coffee containing around 60mg of caffeine

A cup of ground coffee containing around 120mg of caffeine

The polyphenols contained in tea slow the absorption of caffeine by the body, making tea much more refreshing and revitalising than coffee. The caffeine levels in the blood stream caused by coffee tend to cause a sharp peak. Unlike black (oxidised) teas, green teas have very low caffeine levels. See our Green Tea section.

Theanine

Tea also contains an amino acid called theanine which aids relaxation. This is present in high concentrations in some Japanese green teas, such as Sencha Gyokuro, which are grown partially in the shade and therefore have a high concentration of chlorophyll.

Combating Cardio-vascular Disease

Drinking tea can help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and thrombosis. This is due to the cholesterol inhibiting effects of the antioxidants present in tea. A cup of tea typically contains thrree times as many antioxidants as an average apple.

Combating the effects of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases

Regular consumption of tea has been shown to act as a neuro-protective agent in combating the onset of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases.

Combating the Natural Effect of Aging

Antioxidants are particularly valuable in combating the effects of free radicals which are naturally occurring yet toxic molecules. They damage healthy cells and affect their ability to function normally. One group of antioxidants is known as polyphenols and around half of these are flavanoids. Tea is said to have the highest flavonoid content of all plants at 15% dry weight and accounts for 80% of the UK population's dietary intake of flavonoids.

Flavanoids are divided into flavonols and flavanols. Tea is very rich in the latter which are especially valuable as they contain catechins which are very effective at combating free radicals. Green tea contains an abundance of especially bioactive catechins.

Combating Cancer

Consumption of tea may, according to research, reduce the risk of various cancers, especially lung, colon and skin cancers. This is due to the natural antioxidants present in both green and black tea. These antioxidants combat oxidation caused by free radicals. Research has also shown that green tea may lower the risk of breast cancer.

Anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties

As with all fresh fruit and vegetables tea contains antioxidants. However, due to its constituent polyphenol content, the antioxidant levels in green tea have been reported to be one hundred times more effective than vitamin C and twenty-five times better than vitamin E at protecting the immune system. Tea is considered to be a natural antiseptic.

Other Health Benefits

These additional benefits are diverse -

Taken without milk or sugar, tea has no calories.

Tea is rich in vitamins B1, B2 and C.

Tea is good for dental hygiene. As a natural source of fluoride, tea helps strengthen teeth and prevent tooth and gum decay. Only 11% of water supply in the UK has fluoride added to it.

Four cups of tea each day provides around 17% of our recommended daily calcium needs. This helps give us strong bones and teeth.

Tea contains 22% of our recommended daily amount (RDA) of zinc.

Specific Health Benefits of Green Teas

Green teas are considered to be particularly healthy as they are high in antioxidants. The healthy nature of green teas has been known to the Chinese for 4,000 -5,000 years. The catechins in green tea remain most potent and effective in combating cancers. Green teas are considered to reduce cholesterol levels and even to fight bacteria that create plaque and can cause dental decay.

Tea in The Press

Research at University College London has shown that drinking black tea lowers the level of the stress hormone cortisole in the blood. Reducing day to day stress levels is known to be important in lessening the likelihood of coronary heart disease. Sunday Telegraph 20.3.11

Tea has been discovered to be good at reducing weight loss but theses beneficial effects are cancelled out when milk is added. The compounds theaflavins and thearubigins help lessen fat absorbtion in the gut however their effectiveness is cancelled out by the addition of milk. Which teas therefore are good without milk? Try lighter bodied teas such as Darjeelings, China Keemuns and Ceylon Uvas. Sunday Telegraph 27.3.11

However...

It should be stressed that as a natural product there are many variations in the relative concentrations of complex chemical compounds naturally found within tea. These will depend on the exact variety of tea, where it is grown, the sunlight received during growth, whether the tea leaves are manufactured as green or black, the amount of tea used in brewing and the length of time the tea is infused. Further scientific research will need to address these issues for more conclusive results on the health benefits of tea.

Much of the latest research into the health properties of tea is summarised by the Tea Council