Do you enjoy sipping a nice hot cup of tea? Have you wondered with all the hype surrounding tea if there are any medical benefits from the tea? Tea has long been thought of as natural remedy for such things as sleep, stress, fighting off the cold and flu as well as many other natural home remedies. Can tea provide us with some added medical benefits that we may be unaware of? Many studies have been done and the bottom line seems to be yes. Tea can add much to our life and after reading this you may want to drink more of it.
The main types of tea are green, black, white and oolong. Some beverages like herbal teas are labeled tea because they are brewed in a similar way but they don't contain any real tea. All real teas are derived from a plant called Camellia sinensis. The different types of tea are the result of different processing methods. In general, the less a tea is processed the greater the health benefits will be so green tea is usually more powerful than black but both are beneficial for most people. Black tea is fermented while green tea is just withered and steamed. White tea is also uncured and unfermented while oolong is partially fermented.
All teas contain antioxidants called flavonoids. Antioxidants are substances that can help slow down the aging process and help prevent serious health problems including cancer and heart disease because they scavenge the free radicals that cause cell damage and death. One group of these antioxidants in tea is called catechins and studies show they're even more effective than vitamins C and E in fighting disease. While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration finds that there is little or no credible evidence that green tea reduces the risk of heart disease or cancers, many doctors and nutritionists have spoken positively about studies to date while suggesting that more research is needed.
Some of the advantages that have been attributed to drinking tea include reducing the risk for specific cancers including breast, lung, prostate and bladder cancers. Some studies also suggest that tea can reduce hypertension and the risk for heart disease. It's also credited with lowering cholesterol, preventing diabetes and stroke, and helping people to burn fat and lose weight.
If you're persuaded to drink more tea, opt for the fresh brewed version. Let the tea steep for about 5 minutes to get the full value of the catechins. Many bottled tea products actually contain very little tea and may be loaded with sweeteners and chemicals you don't want. Based on practices in China and Japan and other countries where tea drinking has been studied, you may want to follow their example and aim for about 3 cups of green tea daily. Most health experts prefer drinking tea to taking extracts and recommend making it part of a healthy lifestyle that includes a balanced diet and regular exercise.
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