Tea Tips

The benefits of green tea may include better heart health, according to results from a small but promising study in which green tea consumption was associated with improved blood flow. Previous studies have shown that drinking black tea regularly may reduce cancer risk by preventing the cell damage that can cause cancer. And evidence suggests that black tea may also reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol. Now green tea is coming to the heart health stage.

In this study, the first known to examine an association between green tea and heart health, researchers measured the blood flow of volunteers at 30, 90, and 120 minutes after they drank a cup of green tea, a cup of hot water, or a cup of a non-tea beverage with the same amount of caffeine as green tea.

The volunteers who drank the green tea had significantly better blood flow compared with the other groups. More research is needed in a larger and more diverse population, but these early results suggest that green tea can make a difference in heart health.

Green tea benefits are due to the high levels of antioxidants found in green tea, which are similar to the levels of antioxidants found in many fruits and vegetables. Scientists are studying a potential link between regular consumption of green tea and a reduced risk of some cancers.

In a large, population-based study, women who drank just 3 cups of green tea daily had a 33 percent reduction in their risk of colon cancer and a 43 percent reduction in their risk of rectal cancer compared with women who drank no tea. A similar, but less dramatic difference was seen in adult men. Men who drank an average of 4.5 cups of tea daily had an 18 percent reduction in their risk of colon cancer and a 28 percent reduction in their risk of rectal cancer compared with men who drank no tea.

More research is needed to better understand how green tea consumption may reduce your risk of colon and rectal cancer (as well as other cancers), but some evidence suggests that epigallocatechin gallate (called EGCG), a polyphenol found in green tea, may protect healthy cells from cancer and help keep cancer cells from multiplying.

Green tea health benefits, and the health benefits of red tea, ginseng tea, and tea in general, extend beyond the physical to the psychological. Tea contains antioxidants known as polyphenols, and some studies have shown that l-theanine, an amino acid found in green tea leaves (as well as other tea leaves), can have a mild tranquilizing effect that may help reduce stress.

Rooibos tea, a red tea from South Africa, recently had its own study, and the results supported findings of health benefits from other types of teas. In this study, consumption of rooibos tea was associated with improved cardiovascular health with no ill effects to the liver or kidneys.

Ginseng tea health benefits may be a natural extension of the health benefits associated with ginseng root, including ginseng’s anti-inflammatory and stress reduction properties. Although the specific benefits of ginseng tea have not been well studied, anecdotal evidence suggests that ginseng tea may help relieve fatigue and nausea and improve alertness.

If you drink tea regularly, you may reduce your risk of the two most common types of skin cancer. Data from previous studies have shown that that antioxidants found in tea may help to protect the skin against damage from UV radiation. But drinking tea doesn’t mean you can skip the sunblock—the study results did not show that tea drinking was able to reverse any skin damage associated with a history of severe sunburns.

In this study of more than 2,000 adults, including both men and women, those who drank one or more cups of tea each day were 20 percent to 30 percent less likely to develop basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma compared with those who did not drink tea. And the reduction in risk was even greater among adults who drank at least two cups of tea each day. More research is needed to confirm the findings and to explore any potential effect between tea drinking and a reduced risk of malignant melanoma.

Increasing amounts of scientific evidence support the many in which drinking tea may promote health. The benefits apply in varying degrees to any type of tea. So whether you prefer Earl Grey or oolong, green or ginseng, you are doing your health a favor.

Keep these points in mind about the health benefits of tea to get the most from each cup:

-Use real tea. Studies have shown that bottled teas and instant teas contain few antioxidants.

-Don’t rely on herbals alone. Herbal teas make a great complement to your tea collection, especially when you want something caffeine-free. But remember that many so-called “herbal teas” are herbal infusions that contain no tea leaves, and they don’t have the same health benefits of tea. Anything that’s part of the plant family Camellia sinensis is real tea.

-Steep tea for 3-5 minutes for the maximum release of antioxidants.

-Limit kids’ tea consumption. Regular tea can contribute to removing iron in the body, which could cause anemia in children who don’t get enough iron. And kids will be affected by the caffeine in tea, too.

White tea is becoming increasingly popular worldwide. But tea drinkers have a new reason to include white tea in their tea collections—it may help fight cancer. Preliminary studies have shown that white tea was protective against genetic mutations in rats that were bred to develop several different types of cancer. Although studies on specific white tea health benefits are few, the benefits associated with drinking white tea are similar to those associated with drinking any other type of tea.

The difference between white tea and black tea or green tea is the processing. To make white tea, the leaves and white buds from a tea plant are steamed and dried. They undergo very little processing. To make black tea, the tea leaves are withered, and then rolled, roasted, and dried. Some researchers suspect that the minimal processing involved in making white tea preserves more of the antioxidant properties of the tea leaves, but further research is needed to identify specific benefits associated with white tea. But aside from the antioxidants, try a white tea, such as Mighty Leaf’s Silver Jasmine loose tea, simply to enjoy its distinctive yet delicate flavor.

The health benefits of black tea go beyond a tasty beverage; it can also promote a healthy heart. Studies have shown that tea is especially high in flavenoids, which are natural compounds that scientists believe have antioxidant properties. What’s good about antioxidants? They help to neutralize the cell damage that is associated with a variety of illnesses and ailments, from colds to cancer.

Black tea has been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease in many studies from around the world. For example, results from a study of more than 3,000 adults in Saudi Arabia showed that those who drank more than six ups of black tea daily had a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease than people who drank no tea.

But you need not drink 6 cups of tea to enjoy the health benefits. A similar study conducted in the Netherlands showed that adults who drank just 1-2 cups of black tea daily had a 46 percent lower risk of atherosclerosis (an early indicator of heart disease) and those who drank 4 or more cups of tea daily had a 69 percent lower risk.

Drinking tea for good health extends to dental health, too. Although more research is needed to determine an exact connection, preliminary research suggests that the anti-bacterial properties of the flavenoids found in tea may help keep the plaque-forming bacteria in your mouth at bay and reduce your risk for developing cavities.

In addition, the naturally occurring fluoride in tea may help contribute to oral health by promoting healthy tooth enamel. Strong tooth enamel is more likely to resist tooth decay, and adequate fluoride can even help to repair minor tooth decay.

Of course, drinking tea is not a substitute for a complete oral care routine that includes daily toothbrushing and flossing. But tea may be among the better beverage choices to help promote oral health. Some preliminary study findings involving both green tea and black tea suggest that regular tea consumption may be associated with a reduced risk of oral cancer. Also, results from a 6-month study showed a reduction in superficial precancerous lesions in the mouth when the lesions were treated topically with a tea blend product.

Findings from some scientific studies have suggested that high caffeine intake might contribute to a negative effect on bone health (in the form of reduced bone mineral density, which can lead to osteoporosis). One serving of tea has about 40 milligrams of caffeine, which is only about half the amount of caffeine in a comparable cup of coffee.

But several recent studies have shown that the health benefits of tea may include a beneficial effect on the bones. Results from one study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that older women who drank tea regularly had higher bone mineral density than women of the same age who did not drink tea. Also, another study showed an even greater benefit to bone density among women who had been regular tea-drinkers for at least 6 years. More research is needed to define the association between tea and BMD, but researchers have suggested that the flavenoids in tea may be contributing to the body’s ability to maintain strong bones over time.

Findings from past and ongoing studies of tea and health support the theory that regular tea consumption may be associated with a reduced risk for many types of cancers. Here’s how tea can help: The flavenoids in tea may protect healthy cells from cancerous cells and promote the death of cancerous cells.

Tea has been associated with a reduced risk of colon, rectal, skin, and oral cancers, and ovarian cancer can be added to the list. Although more research is needed to confirm the association, results from 254 women with ovarian cancer and 652 women of the same age who didn’t have cancer showed that that ovarian cancer risk significantly decreases as the amount of tea women drank and the number of years they had been tea drinkers increased.

In addition, the Iowa Women’s Health Study of post-menopausal women aged 55-69 years found that those who drank at least 2 cups of tea each day had a 32 percent reduction in their risk for digestive cancer and a 60 percent reduction in their risk for urinary tract cancer.