Health Benefits of Tea


Tea: It Does the Body Good

Studies that support the health benefits of tea drinking keep filling the headlines. There's simply no denying that a daily spot of tea does the body good.

Even though researchers can't quite agree on every aspect, I'm sold on the fact that a few cups a day will do its best to protect me from heart disease, a stroke, cancer, and more.

What Makes Tea Good for the Body?

Tea contains high levels of antioxidants, some of which are called polyphenols, flavonoids, and catechins, and all of which take on the "free radicals" in the body and prevent them from harming the healthy cells on board.

In other words, sending in antioxidants is disease prevention in its finest form. Antioxidants are ready and waiting not only in teas but also in several fruits, vegetables, nuts, meats, and even wines (see my health benefits of wine article).

If that were not enough, tea also contains flouride which benefits your teeth and has bacteria killing properties which helps control bad breath and the formation of plaque.

Are All Teas Equally Good for the Body?

This is a question researchers are still squabbling over. Does green tea have more antioxidants than black tea? Should I drink instant tea or loose leaf tea for better health benefits? Is hot tea better than iced tea? And here's what it comes down to:

  • Higher quality teas may have more catechin antioxidants than lower quality teas.

  • White tea has more antioxidants than any other tea.

  • Green tea has more catechin antioxidants than black tea since black tea goes through more processing.

  • Unfermented rooibos tea has more polyphenol antioxidants than fermented rooibos.

  • Freshly brewed teas have more polyphenol antioxidants than instant or bottled teas.

  • More researchers seem to agree that brewed (cold or hot) or caffeinated tea has more antioxidants than instant teas.

Here's a short preview of the hundreds of recent studies that boast the health benefits of tea and its antioxidants:

Heart Benefits:

  • Study finds tea drinkers have lower blood pressure (Archives of Internal Medicine, 2004).

  • Tea may lower cholesterol and protect against heart disease (Journal of Nutrition, 2003).

  • Black tea may lower "bad" cholesterol (United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, 2003).

  • Tea consumption may help heart disease patients (Circulation: The Journal of the American Heart Association, 2001).

Cancer Prevention:

  • Green tea could help stem esophageal cancer. (Harvard Medical School, 2004).

  • Green and black tea can slow down the spread of prostate cancer (Center for Human Nutrition at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine, 2004).

  • Tea may protect against cancer caused by smoking. (Journal of Nutrition, 2003).

  • Green tea and white tea fight colon cancer (Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University study, Carcinogenesis, 2003).

  • Hot tea may lower risk of some skin cancers (University of Arizona study, Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention (Vol. 9, No. 7), 2001).

  • Green tea consumption may lower stomach cancer risk (University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Public Health study, International Journal of Cancer (Vol. 92: 600-604), 2001).

Hypertension-Reducing Benefits:

  • Green and oolong teas reduce risk of hypertension (National Cheng Kung University study, Archives of Internal Medicine, 2004).

Immunity-Boosting Benefits

  • Tea believed to boost the body's defenses (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2003)

Leukemia-Fighting Benefits:

  • A green tea component helps kill leukemia cells (Mayo Clinic, 2004).

Alzheimer's-Fighting Benefits:

  • Drinking tea might delay Alzheimer's Disease (Newcastle University's Medicinal Plant Research Centre study, Phytotherapy Research, 2004).

AIDS-Fighting Benefits:

  • Tea may play a role as an AIDS fighter (University of Tokyo, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2003).

In Conclusion:

So how do you get started in doing your body some good with tea?

To get the most health benefits out of your teas, choose high-quality loose leaf teas from your local or online tea shop. Brew it up and enjoy. And of course, don't throw out the idea of enjoying instant or bottled teas when you're on the go. You just might have to drink a little more.

Don't wait any longer. Sip, savor, and fight disease today. It's never too late to enjoy the many health benefits of tea!

About The Author

Jason Ditto


More Resources

Top 3 Yogis Secrets for Health and Happiness
For hundreds of years, the yogi's have been known to know the secrets for health, peace and happiness. In this short, but informative article, I will briefly describe 3 of these secrets with you.
Natural Alternatives vs. Prescription Drugs
Natural Alternatives: A growing phenomenon across this world which is a very diverse concept yet very divine and instrumental in healing health diseases. It might be thought as any health care which is not a part of the mainstream medical establishment.
Treating West Nile Virus with High Quality St. Johns Wort
West Nile Virus, although new to the U.S.
Easy Steps You Can Take Today to Erase Hip Pain
..
An Udderly Ricidulous Home Remedy
Home Remedies - Facts or Quacks?That's what I recently asked myself. Myths and legends often have their basis in a grain of truth.
Green Tea prevents and fights the risks of Cancer, why you should be drinking Green Tea
Do you drink Green Tea?Then you should read the information below.Lately, green tea has been getting a lot of attention, recent reports and scientific studies found that green tea has the ability to reduce greatly the risk of many cancers and in some cases it has shown signs of reducing tumors.
Alzheimer's Patients And Verbal Abuse: How To Deal With It
Abuse of any kind is difficult to deal with. Types of verbal abuse can include the following:Does your loved one ignore your feelings?Is he disrespectful?Does he withhold approval, appreciation or affection?Does he walk away without answering you?Does he criticize you, call you names or yell at you?Does he humiliate you in public or in the privacy of your home?Does he tell you that you are too sensitive?Does he destroy furniture or punch holes in the walls?These are some of the signs, but there are many more that may be observed.
Pain Relief: Is There an Alternative?
Do you rely on Vioxx, Celebrex or Aleve (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs) to ease pain? If you suffer from inflammatory arthritis or pain due to injuries, you probably are familiar with one of these drugs. No doubt you have also heard recent reports linking some NSAIDs with an increased risk of heart attack or stroke.
Toxins Make You Fat and Shorten Your Life
When your body is toxic, toxins hide and embed themselves in your body fat. This causes your cells and organs to become sluggish and lose efficiency.
Classical Music Therapy
Music, more than entertainment, has played an instrumental role in healing and harmonizing the mind, body and spirit. For thousands of years, the Vedic culture has used sound and music for body and mind balancing, health enhancement, healing promotion and encouragement of heightened awareness.
Natural Remedies and Prevention of Constipation
Constipation is a problem that affects many Americans every day. Constipation is mainly due to poor eating habits, insufficient exercise, not getting enough fiber and not drinking enough water.
Learn About Falun Dafa
I have been practicing an advanced form of qigong for almost 5years now. The name of this practice is Falun Dafa.
Quiet Discoveries Lead to Fast Sinus Relief
It's amazing what you can find when you start your search a little outside the bulls eye. While clicking through Magnetic Resonance Imaging research online, my colleagues and I found some intriguing scientific studies completely by accident!What did we find? Well, let's just say if you've got a stuffy nose you should try magnets before sniffling through that bottle of nasal spray!Did you know that every year, more than 35 million Americans suffer from sinusitis? It's one of the leading chronic diseases in the United States [1].
Ayurveda, Indias Science of Life, Health and Longevity
Ayurveda is India's ancient science life, health, and longevity. It is thought of by many scholars to be the oldest form of health care in the world.
Anti Aging Tips & Techniques
Aging occurs due to the growth of the tissues and other elements in side the body. Even the cells grow and die as time passes "there was nothing to stop these changes" but this sentences is no more existing.
Top 10 Trends in Healthcare
America is undergoing a dramatic shift in healthcare. Actually, ten distinctly different shifts.
Limitations You Should Know About When Using the Subconscious For Pain Relief
As powerful as the subconscious can be in relieving pain, it has a number of limitations that you should be aware of before attempting to use it to ease your pain.The use of the subconscious to ease pain can be not only helpful but in some cases may be the only thing that seems to produce lasting relief.
Hemorrhoids - What Do I Need To Do?
There are many unpleasant symptoms and diseases associated with constipation. Hemorrhoids is one such symptom and many doctor or practitioners say, "its not a serious condition.
Some O. H. & S. For You To Consider
Clicking a mouse isn't exactly vigorous exercise, so I thought we might consider a little Occupational Health and Safety. If you're like me, you spend quite a few hours each day 'slaving over a hot computer' - and it's probably one the most sedantary things you can do.
Test Your Indoor Air Quality!
How safe is your Indoor Air?1) Does your home have carpeting?* Carpeting captures dust, dirt, chemicals and everything we track in from the outdoors. Carpeting also outgases formaldehydes and other chemicals used in processing.

More Alternative Information:

Related Articles

Arthritis and Aromatherapy
Arthritis is an inflammation of the joints and is characterized by pain, stiffness, swelling, decreased range of movement and at a more serious stage deformity.Aromatherapy is a holistic approach to health and wellness by means of aromatic, plant derived scents.
Eating Junk Food -- The Hidden Price
You probably are very familiar with the benefits you get from NOT eating healthy. You get to eat food that tastes good, you get to be lazy and sit on the couch and veg out and watch TV.
Use Fresh Herbs In Your Cooking
Many common herbs that you might use in cooking are well known for there healing properties. Using them in cooking is a great way to incorporate the healing attributes of natural herbs with your meals.
Know About the All Purpose Holistic Medicine
Understanding what holistic medicine is:Holistic Medicine is a wellness-based approach to medicine. It emphasizes the need to look at the whole person, including analysis of physical, nutritional, environmental, emotional, social, spiritual and lifestyle values.
How Can Green Tea Benefit My Family?
No doubt you've heard of Green Tea and the health benefits you can experience from drinking it.Are you giving your family this powerful antioxidant daily?Here is a refresher on some of the benefits you can experience with Green Tea.
Why Most People Dont Really Want to Heal (Part 2)
The story so far..
Basic Reiki
This is a very simplified primer on basic Reiki. It's intended as a basic lesson to help someone get started channeling the energy and in no way should be considered a Reiki Course in itself.
How the Subconscious Reasons When It Communicates With You About Pain Relief
The subconscious is a strange creature. It doesn't know what day it is, and can't add two and two.
The Simplest Asthma Solution
During the Democratic convention the Reverend Al Sharpton quoted a shocking statistic: One third of the children in Harlem suffer from asthma. This shouldn't be completely surprising since asthma cases have been consistently increasing over the years, especially in the cities, escalating recently during the rollback of some key environmental laws, but it is a trend we must turn back.
Hemorrhoids & its Symptoms
Hemorrhoids are conditions where there is a swelling of the veins around the anus. The veins may be inflammed sometimes.
Herbs and Essential Oils - Powerful Medicine
We can find many beneficial uses for natural herbs and their essential oils in our lives. The essential oils contain the concentrated part of the herb.
Reiki
REIKI is a form of natural healing through direct application of Universal Life Force Energy, or CHI (the term used by Chinese mystics and martial artists for the underlying Universal force, otherwise, energy). Through Reiki, energy is thought to be effected by thought.
Ayurveda: A Natural Health 101 Article
What It IsAyurveda is the traditional medical system of sub-continental India. With an archeological record going back 7000 years and an unbroken written history dating back to around 1500 B.
Hypnosis CDs vs One-to-One Treatment
What's best?Whenever we are about to invest money, whether it be a tin of baked beans, or a complete new hi-fi, we ask ourselves the question what's best? Where will we get the best value for our money? Where will we get the best return for our investment? Now where we all differ is in what we consider best. For some of us, value is the most important so we go for the lowest price that does the job (covers the toast, or plays CD's).
How to Use the Subconscious to Cope with Body System Triggers of Your Pain
The musculoskeletal, immune and endocrine systems can all be potent triggers of pain signals in your body. Here's a way to use your subconscious mind to try to lessen the impact of those triggers.
Fun is a Powerful Alternative Medicine - Just Dont Confuse it with Funny
You're familiar with the phrase, "there's the rub," meaning "there lies the difficulty"? It's usually used to describe a stumbling block in your path or the central dilemma. But while it's associated with Hamlet, did you know that this phrase was not coined by Shakespeare? I'll finish this thought in a moment.
Aspergers Syndrome and its Symptoms
Asperger's syndrome is a condition common in young children who experience impaired social interactions and develop limited repetitive patterns of behavior. Asperger's syndrome is other wise commonly called as pervasive developmental disorder.
Alternative Fibromyalgia Therapies
Fibromyalgia is a mysterious disease that is effecting more and more people, as increasing numbers of patients are being diagnosed with this disorder. What is fibromyalgia, and what are some alterative therapies and treatments for this often-times debilitating disease?Fibromyalgia is defined as a chronic musculoskeletal disorder with symptoms of widespread and persistent muscle and soft tissue pain, fatigue, and tenderness in several key points of the body such as the neck, shoulders and hips.
How to Avoid Potentially Harmful Chemicals in Your Area Rugs and Other Home Furnishings
You purchase a beautiful area rug. You know just where it will go within your home.
Sun Chlorella and the Benefit
Sun Chlorella is referred to as the Green Magician due to the amazing healing powers of sun chlorella and its benefit of chlorella. Also known as the 'Super food', sun chlorella is packed full of the benefit of chlorella! Chlorella contains the highest levels of chlorophyll of all earth's foods and has many benefits of chlorella.