Tea…with health benefits!
The globe is divided into various geographical and cultural terrains. That’s why we speak different languages, have different preferences and celebrate different festivals. However there are certain things which are unanimous throughout the globe. We all drink water, breathe in oxygen and eat food. Perhaps the most consumed drink throughout the globe is water. Whether you have the habit of consuming water as such or taking it in the form of a beverage, water is always consumed by every human being. Infact, a day without water can cause enormous changes in your body.
After water, the most versatile of beverages which is commonly consumed in various countries unanimously is tea. Indians are used to tea with milk and sugar, The western countries are used to consuming pure black tea and some may prefer the tea with cream. However the difference lies only in the way the tea is consumed. In India, children are traditionally not offered tea. The reasons are unknown. However current research says that tea can actually be beneficial for human health.
Misconceptions about healthy tea
As the information becomes more and more readily available so does the prevalence of myths increase with time. The notion of green tea and herbal tea to be better than black tea or traditional tea is only a myth. All teas whether black, green or white have active polyphenols which impart medicinal properties to the tea. However herbal tea is not a tea at all. It has a mix of herbs and flowers which impart a characteristic taste similar to tea.
Green tea, white tea and black tea
Black, green, white, and oolong teas derive their leaves from a warm-weather evergreen tree known as Camellia sinensis. The leaves from this tree contain polyphenols. The more processing tea leaves undergo, the darker they will turn. Green tea and white tea are the least processed tea. They are simply steamed quickly. White tea is derived from the young new leaves from the Camellia plant in early spring. These young leaves contain no chlorophyll, so they are silvery white. Black and oolong teas are partially dried, crushed and fermented. As we have mentioned before, regardless of the processing method, black, green, white and oolong teas all contain polyphenols. In fact, tea ranks as high as or higher than many fruits and vegetables in the ORAC score, a score that measures antioxidant potential of plant-based foods.
Health benefits of tea
The benefits of tea consumption may extend throughout the body, experts believe. Here is a partial list of conditions some research has shown may be prevented or improved by drinking tea:
Arthritis: Research suggests that older women who are tea drinkers are 60 percent less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than those who do not drink tea.
Bone Density: Drinking tea regularly for years may produce stronger bones. Those who drank tea on a regular basis for 10 or more years had higher-bone mineral density in their spines than those who had not.
Cancer: Green tea extracts were found to inhibit the growth of bladder cancer cells in the lab — while other studies suggest that drinking green tea protects against developing stomach and esophageal cancers.
- Sipping on a cup of hot tea may be a safeguard against cancer. Population studies have linked the consumption of tea with a reduction in risk for several types of cancer. Researchers speculate that the polyphenols in tea may inhibit certain mechanisms that promote cancer growth. Both green and black teas have been credited with cancer-inhibiting powers.
Flu: You may be able to boost your fight against the flu with black tea.
Your best defense against contracting the flu is to wash your hands often and get vaccinated against the influenza virus. Black tea may further bolster your efforts to stay healthy. In a recent study, people who gargled with a black tea extract solution twice per day showed a higher immunity to flu virus compared to the people who did not gargle with black tea.
Heart Disease: A recent study published in the journal Circulation found that drinking more than two cups of tea a day decreased the risk of death following a heart attack by 44 percent. Even less spirited tea drinkers were rewarded: Consuming just two cups a day decreased the risk of death by almost a third.
Tea is a rich source of the flavonoids quercetin, kaempferol, and myricetin, and research shows that high dietary intake of these compounds is associated with a reduced risk of fatal heart attacks. In one study, people who drank about a cup and a half of tea per day were almost 40% less likely to suffer a heart attack compared to tea abstainers.
High Blood Pressure: Tea lovers may be surprised to learn their beverage of choice touts yet another health benefit: blood pressure control. Drinking a half-cup of green or oolong tea per day reduced a person’s risk of high blood pressure by almost 50% in a new study. People who drank at least two and a half cups per day reduced their risk even more. Their risk was reduced even if they had risk factors for high blood pressure, such as high sodium intake.
Parkinson’s Disease: Tea consumption may be protective against developing this debilitating neurological disorder.
Oral Health: Rinsing with tea may prevent cavities and gum disease.