For centuries, tea has been used in alternative medicine to treat everything from cancer to constipation. Recent research supports these claims: Studies have shown that tea may protect against heart disease, Alzheimer’s and many types of cancer. There is a wide range of tea flavors within every type of tea and a host of different preventative health benefits.
Black tea, green tea, and white tea are all made from the same plant, the Camellia sinensis plant, but they all undergo different processing. All three types of teas contain significant amounts of catechins, a type of disease-fighting flavonoid and antioxidant that help to fight off cellular damage in the body. As a general rule, the longer you steep the tea, the more flavonoids you’ll get in your brew.
Most Common Teas
Black tea: The most common type with the highest caffeine, made with fermented tea leaves.
Green tea: Made with unfermented leaves, it has a high concentration of catechin, EGCG.
White tea: It is the least processed and made with the new growth buds and young leaves. Uncured and unfermented.
Oolong tea: Made with partially fermented leaves. Oolong teas are full bodied in flavor and aroma.
Benefits of Tea:
- Tea can boost exercise endurance.
- Drinking tea can help reduce the risk of heart attack.
- The antioxidants in tea might also help against cancer.
- Tea helps fight free radicals as it is high in oxygen radical absorbance capacity – helps destroy free radicals in the body.
- Tea is hydrating to the body.
- Drinking tea is linked with a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease.
- Tea might provide protection from ultraviolet rays.
- Tea helps with weight loss and Type 2 diabetes.
- Regular tea drinking might also counteract some of the negative effects of smoking and might even lessen the risk of lung cancer.
- Tea can help the body recover from radiation.
- Green tea has been found to improve bone mineral density and strength.
- Tea might be effective in the prevention and treatment of neurological diseases, especially degenerative disease (Alzheimer’s).
So, sit back in the morning, at break, or after dinner and relax with a nice cup of tea. The benefits are worth it.
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