Benefits of Tea

Drink the Right Tea Borrowed from Healthy Eating@ Reader's Digest A report from consumerlab.com found that certain bottled teas contained almost no ECGC, the potent antioxidant linked to cancer prevention & weight loss.  For the most health benefits, make your own.

Black tea can benefit your blood pressure, suggests new research published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. This idea builds upon an earlier JAMA study that found black tea can reduce hypertension & risk of cardiovascular disease. There's, also, research that shows black tea can lower prevalence of diabetes. Which begs the question: is black tea best for you, or are there healthier options, such as green or white? Either or, says Michelle Davenport, PhD, a nutritionist in San Francisco. "Black and green tea are both from the plant Camellia sinensis and both are high in flavonoid content. Flavonoids have antioxidant activity, which has been shown to fight the oxidation and inflammation associated with cardiovascular disease," she says.

Types of Teas and Their Health Benefits From green tea to hibiscus, from white tea to chamomile, teas are chock full of flavonoids and other healthy goodies. Borrowed from: WebMD Feature By Julie Edgar Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD Regarded for thousands of years in the East as a key to good health, happiness, and wisdom, tea has caught the attention of researchers in the West, who are discovering the many health benefits of different types of teas. Studies have found that some teas may help with cancer, heart disease, and diabetes; encourage weight loss; lower cholesterol; and bring about mental alertness. Tea, also, appears to have antimicrobial qualities. “There doesn’t seem to be a downside to tea,” says American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Katherine Tallmadge, MA, RD, LD. “I think it’s a great alternative to coffee drinking. First, tea has less caffeine. It’s pretty well established that the compounds in tea, their flavonoids, are good for the heart and may reduce cancer.” Although a lot of questions remain about how long tea needs to be steeped for the most benefit, and how much you need to drink, nutritionists agree any tea is good tea. Still, they prefer brewed teas over bottled to avoid the extra calories and sweeteners. Health Benefits of Tea: Green, Black, and White Tea Tea is a name given to a lot of brews, but purists consider only green tea, black tea, white tea, oolong tea, and pu-erh tea the real thing. They are all derived from the Camellia sinensis plant, a shrub native to China and India, and contain unique antioxidants called flavonoids. The most potent of these, known as ECGC, may help against free radicals that can contribute to cancer, heart disease, and clogged arteries. All these teas also have caffeine and theanine, which affect the brain and seem to heighten mental alertness. The more processed the tea leaves, usually the less polyphenol content. Polyphenols include flavonoids. Oolong and black teas are oxidized or fermented, so they have lower concentrations of polyphenols than green tea; but their antioxidizing power is still high. Here's what some studies have found about the potential health benefits of tea: 1. Green tea: Made with steamed tea leaves, it has a high concentration of EGCG and has been widely studied. Green tea’s antioxidants may interfere with the growth of bladder, breast, lung, stomach, pancreatic, and colorectal cancers; prevent clogging of the arteries, burn fat, counteract oxidative stress on the brain, reduce risk of neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, reduce risk of stroke, and improve cholesterol levels. 2. Black tea: Made with fermented tea leaves, black tea has the highest caffeine content and forms the basis for flavored teas like chai, along with some instant teas. Studies have shown that black tea may protect lungs from damage caused by exposure to cigarette smoke. It also may reduce the risk of stroke. 3. White tea: Uncured and unfermented. One study showed that white tea has the most potent anticancer properties compared to more processed teas. 4. Oolong tea: In an animal study, those given antioxidants from oolong tea were found to have lower bad cholesterol levels. One variety of oolong, Wuyi, is heavily marketed as a weight loss supplement, but science hasn’t backed the claims. 5. Pu-erh tea: Made from fermented and aged leaves. Considered a black tea, its leaves are pressed into cakes. One animal study showed that animals given pu-erh had less weight gain and reduced LDL cholesterol.