The Benefits of Tea
Apart from being a great tasting, refreshing drink, tea has some great health benefits. Studies have been conducted around the world to try and capture all of the benefits of tea and here we’ve listed some of our favourites.
Antioxidant support
One of the main things we know about tea is that is it rich in antioxidants. But, what are they and why do we need them?
Antioxidants help balance the free radicals that occur naturally in the body. These free radicals can cause damage to healthy cells in the body leading to disease and infection. The antioxidants limit the damage caused by free radicals. They aid repair and help your body’s cells to recover and keep you in optimum health. Although the body naturally contains antioxidants, sometimes a top up is needed and tea can do that for you. Antioxidants are also found in many other foods that are good for you, like fruit, vegetables, fish and whole foods.
Tea hydrates you
Public health nutritionist Dr Carrie Ruxton and her colleagues at Kings College London, looked at studies on the health effects of tea consumption. They found clear evidence that drinking three to four cups of tea a day can cut the chances of having a heart attack. Dr Ruxton said: “Drinking tea is actually better for you than drinking water. Water is essentially replacing fluid. Tea replaces fluids and contains antioxidants so it’s got two things going for it. Tea is not dehydrating. It is a healthy drink.”
- Tea is a great natural source of fluoride.
- Tea contains 0 calories which is why it’s a great drink if you are trying to lose weight.
- Tea 4 Health recommend drinking 4 cups a day for optimum health.
More benefits with specific teas
If you enjoy drinking green tea you’ll be happy to hear that it contains more iron and vitamins than black tea! The recommended intake of iron is 8.7mg a day for men and 14.8mg a day for women. Read our article about the benefits of green tea here.
If oolong is your favourite, it’s said that regular consumption of around 8 grams a day can have a slimming effect by increasing metabolism. Oolong tea is also known for its relaxing, anti-stress properties. This is down to the concentration of aromatic oils which are drawn out from the leaves during rolling. Recent studies have also noted its benefits of aiding digestion.
READ ALL ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF ROOIBOS HERE
Pu-erh tea is said to have various positive health benefits which include being an excellent aid to digestion and easing stomach upsets. Also, it is thought that pu-erh can help to reduce your cholesterol & can aid weight loss.