Tea has long been known to have beneficial effects on human health due to the antioxidants it contains, but a series of studies recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) show that drinking tea can reduce cancer and cardiovascular risks, promote weight loss, and even improve your mood.
The World’s Second Beverage of Choice
According to the Tea Association of the USA, the only beverage people consume more than tea is water.(1)
In the United States, more than 158 million people drink tea every day, while the British–well-known for their love affair with tea–consume more than 165 million cups every day.
In a recent issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, some of the world’s foremost scientists hailing from such places as the US Department of Agriculture, UCLA, and the University of Glasgow to name a few, contributed their findings and opinions, offering greater insight into tea’s effects on human health.
Tea Helps You Lose Weight
Weight loss is a serious concern for many people because obesity can lead to many health complications, including;
» cardiovascular disease
» cancer
» diabetes
» sleep apnea
» osteoarthritis
» and kidney disease
The good news is that tea can help.
Tea contains natural compounds known as polyphenols, such as tannins and flavonoids.
Researchers have found that along with the caffeine content of tea, these compounds help increase the amount of energy people expend as well as improving fat oxidation.(2, 3)
This leads to weight loss and a better ability to maintain body weight.
In fact, one study revealed that people who added green tea and caffeine to their routine were able to lose 2.9 pounds in 12 weeks without making any other changes to their diet.(4)
Further studies showed that people who drink tea regularly have lower body mass indexes and less body fat than people who don’t drink tea.(5, 6)
Tea Reduces the Risk of Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease
Research also shows that the polyphenols in green tea might help in stopping the progress of certain types of cancer, with one study finding that 30 percent of the men in a placebo group developed prostate cancer, versus 9 percent of those who were in a tea-drinking group.(7,8,9)
Tea is also believed to help with other types of cancer, such as breast, lung, and skin cancer.(10)
It also appears that black tea might help lower blood pressure in people with hypertension.
A study conducted in Italy by Dr. Claudio Ferri revealed that not only did black tea help reduce blood pressure, but it also counteracted the negative effects of high-fat diets on blood pressure and arterial blood flow.(11)
Dr. Ferri explained that even as little as one cup of tea per day could have incredible health benefits, and it could significantly reduce the frequency of strokes, heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems when considered on a population scale.
Tea Could Give You Stronger Bones and Put You in a Better Mood
If you suffer from osteoporosis, the good news is that tea can increase bone strength and quality.
A study revealed that people who were over 50 years of age and drank tea had a 30 percent lower risk of hip fractures.(12)
And if that’s not enough to get you on the tea-drinking bandwagon, it was found that a cup of brew could increase attention and helped people focus better.
In the study, researchers used two groups of people.(13)
One group drank between two and three cups of tea in ninety minutes, while the other was given a placebo.
The tea-drinking group had better results in an attention-based task and felt more alert than the placebo group.
Conclusion
Many people simply enjoy drinking tea.
However, it seems they are also doing their health a favor.
So, if the tea hasn’t been your beverage of choice so far, you might consider incorporating it into your daily regimen.
After all, research shows that a single cup of tea per day can do wonders for you.
Buy only an organic and non-GMO certified brand of tea.
Some of our favorites include;
Don’t forget to share…
References
(1)http://www.teausa.com/14655/tea-fact-sheet
(2)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26695876
(3)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18326618
(4)http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2013/10/30/ajcn.113.058396.abstract
(5)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17906192/
(6)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3515715/
(7)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17998943
(8)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17987445
(9)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14519824
(10)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20924968
(11)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4344573/
(12)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17921409
(13)http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/98/6/1700S.full