Tea has been around for more than 5,000 years, and since then, tea has been applauded for its health benefits.
There are many different types of tea from all over the world. China, Japan, India, Kenya and Iran are just a few countries that produce tea.
Depending on the type of tea, there is a wide array of benefits that are thought to come from the brew, many proven also. The most common types of tea are green tea, black tea and white tea.
Whether green tea has youthful effects is still in question; what it does have is a ton of catechins. When in dry-leaf form, catechins make up 30 percent of the weight.
Antioxidants are good for cleansing the body of toxins and cleaning out the organs. Consuming green tea will compliment a diet.
“I drink tea because of the health benefits, and it’s also a warm drink on a cold day,” Hannah Stipek, junior nutrition and dietetics major, said.
Black tea has few antioxidants, but has a considerable amount of caffeine. Brewed coffee contains between 80-135 milligrams of caffeine, and black tea has between 40-60 milligrams of caffeine.
The way the caffeine is absorbed though the body is more efficient through tea than coffee. Tea will slowly release the caffeine at a steady pace in your body, whereas coffee gives the body a caffeine jump, but will then crash fairly quickly.
“I drink tea because I love the way it tastes and it’s better than drinking coffee,” Alexa Pyles, junior liberal arts major, said. “(It is a good substitute for coffee) because sometimes coffee makes me sick, but also because there’s not as much added sugars.”
White tea is also a well-known type of tea among consumers. Not only does white tea also have a lot of antioxidants, it is resourceful with skincare.
Sun exposure and a poor diet will cause free radicals in the body which will age and harm the skin. White tea scrounges up the free radicals which will protect skin and possibly reverse sun damage.
Green, black and white teas all offer a numerous amount of positive effects on the body if consumed frequently enough. They also have many unignorable benefits that are the same. All teas contain small amounts of fluoride that keep the mouth healthy, prevent tooth decay and bad breath.
Regarding other bones, tea will strengthen bones and is a known beneficial for those with arthritis and osteoporosis.
“Tea is known to reduce the risk of ovarian, breast and prostate cancer, which is awesome! It’s also a good calorie burner,” Stipek said.
Lowering cholesterol and blood pressure is another claim to fame for tea. The catechins in the antioxidants reduce cholesterol and promote healthy arteries. Tea also creates strong blood vessels and increases the quality of blood flow preventing blockage of the arteries.
Tea is considered the “wonder drug” for centuries. With its all-around health benefits and numerous contributions to multiple areas of the body, enjoy nature’s great gift.
