Ten Health Benefits of Drinking Tea

 

Did you know that tea is the most widely drunk beverage on the planet after water? Well it’s true, and with all the research and studies into the health benefits of tea drinking, it seems there is no better time to fill up your mug. Tea drinking can first be traced back to South and East Asia where the tea plant was first cultivated. Though many stories exist about its origins, the earliest and most definitive record can be found in a medical text by Chinese writer Hua T’o in the 3rd century AD who claimed that tea led to improved thinking and mental clarity.

This article will look at the top 10 health benefits of drinking tea, and will hopefully convince you to start drinking it too!

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1. Tea Contains Flavanoids and Antioxidants

Flavanoids are a group of plant pigments that have proven themselves to be very useful in preventing a number of diseases. Antioxidants too are known to fight the damaging effects of free radicals, keeping you disease free and healthy.

2. Boosting Immune Health

The nutrients found in tea can certainly help fight off infection and help keep your immune system running strong. One study highlighted this when 21 participants drank five cups of tea or coffee every day for four weeks. The results proved that immune system activity was higher in the tea drinkers.

3. Weight Loss 

Tea, especially green tea is known to boost metabolism. That’s why green tea extract is featured in so many weight loss products of today. You could burn up to an extra 80 calories a day just by drinking 3-5 cups of green tea. Over a year’s time that would add up to a whopping 8 pounds!

4. Zero Calories

Tea is also great for weight loss simply because it contains 0 calories. Replacing that fizzy sugar-filled soft drink with unsweetened tea without milk could mean losing an extra pound each week. A few months later you could lose up to a stone!

5. Tea reduces your risk of heart attacks

It is thought that tea works by helping to keep arteries clear and free of clogs which when formed lead to heart attack and stroke. A 6 year study in Holland found that tea drinkers had a 70% reduced chance of fatal heart attack in individuals who drank 2 or 3 cups of black tea every day as opposed to those who consumed none.  Indeed, this effect is not limited to black tea, but green tea has also demonstrated its ability to lower LDL levels (bad cholesterol).

6. Tea and Teeth

Tea itself is full of fluoride and tannings that help keep plaque at bay. In this way, drinking unsweetened tea can form part of your daily ritual for health teeth and gums.

7. Tea May Protect Against Cancer

Though much of the evidence for this one might be contradictory, there is still however sufficient evidence to assert that tea protects cancer. Tea contains antioxidants, specifically polyphenols which are known to help ward off the disease.

8. Tea keeps you hydrated

Think of tea as water with an added amount of antioxidants and other health boosting nutrients. It will keep you refreshed, thinking clearly throughout the day.

9. Tea vs. Coffee

If you’re looking for the healthier option, it is likely you’ll find the answer in tea. Tea contains roughly a 1/3 amount of caffeine found in coffee which for some individuals can cause headaches and nausea.

10. Tea keeps bones strong

For this benefit, if you add milk to your tea, then that will boost your calcium intake giving you even stronger bones. Yet even without milk added tea has shown in numerous studies to affect bone health. One instance can be found in a study that found that people who drank tea for 10 or more years had the strongest bones regardless of age, body weight, exercise regimes and smoking. Researchers are quick to point out that this is because tea is loaded with phytochemicals.