Tea is not just a delicious beverage with an almost magically calming effect but is full of health benefits for your body. A beverage which has been enjoyed for centuries and after water is the most consumed fluid in the world.
Including tea as part of your day can help reduce your risk of diabetes, some cancers, heart disease and maybe even improving your mental health. This is due to the bioactive compounds found in tea. The tea which makes black, green and oolong has its origins in China.
The least fermented or oxidised tea is green tea and as such has the highest levels of polyphenols. Black and oolong still have adequate number of beneficial polyphenols and there is no need to stop enjoying these varieties. If you want a caffeine kick then black tea is the best choice. Tea generally has about half that of a regular cup of coffee, so for most, around 8 cups a day is recommended.
Fun fact that a healthy gut function can help the benefits of the polyphenols be even more beneficial for your body. So, keeping your gut healthy is not just important to keep you regular.
It seems in research tea can help your heart by decreasing the ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol which can build up in your arteries and increase your ‘HDL’ cholesterol which helps clear cholesterol from your arteries. To help your blood sugar stay in a healthy range by increasing the efficacy of insulin signalling and glucose metabolism. The catechins in green tea may help keep blood sugar levels in check.
One study found for each additional 2 cups of tea drunk per day a decrease risk of diabetes by 5%. Research is not strong to support overall tea’s ability to reduce your risk of cancer. The WHO concluded there is only one ‘limited evidence’ strength of evidence to support the benefit of drinking tea to reduce cancer risk and this was for bladder cancer.
Weight loss and tea is a hot topic. Most research has been conducted using supplements rather than tea. Overall findings do not support the ability of tea to assist in weight loss and cannot be linked to help reduce weight loss.
What about mental health? The effect of green tea has been linked to decreased risk and management of depression. Green tea has an amino acid called theanine, which plays a relaxing effect on the brain by increasing dopamine and serotonin production. A 2016 meta-analysis of almost 23,000 participants found that for every 3 cups of green tea drunk a day decreased the risk of depression by 37%.
Take home message: There are lots of potential health benefits of drinking tea with little risk. So, continue drinking this delicious beverage for enjoyment and knowledge it is likely doing at least a few health benefits for your body.
References:
- Yang WS, Wang WY, Fan WY, Deng Q, Wang X. Tea consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes: a dose-response meta-analysis of cohort studies. The British journal of nutrition. 2014;111(8):1329-39.
- Boehm K, Borrelli F, Ernst E, Habacher G, Hung SK, Milazzo S, et al. Green tea (Camellia sinensis) for the prevention of cancer. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2009(3).
- Dong X, Yang C, Cao S, Gan Y, Sun H, Gong Y, et al. Tea consumption and the risk of depression: a meta-analysis of observational studies. The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry. 2015;49(4):334-45.
