Tea and Your Health

Did you know that tea is the second-most-consumed beverage in the world, after water? Not only is it as hydrating as water—and counts toward the recommended eight glasses of daily fluid intake1—but research indicates that tea, which naturally contains antioxidants that help the body neutralize free radicals, may be an important contributor to a healthy lifestyle.

Free radicals and why we should fight them.

So, what exactly are free radicals? Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that your body naturally produces during normal cellular processes. But that’s not the only way free radicals are produced. Exposure to pollution, sunlight and smoking can also cause free radicals to be formed.

Free radicals then attack other molecules in the body, damaging the cell wall and the material inside the cells. Worse yet, the cell-damage process triggers more free radicals to form, which in turn damage more and more cells. These devious and harmful molecules are associated with increased heart disease, stroke, cancer and impaired immune-system functions.

Antioxidants to the rescue.

Tea, like fruits and vegetables, is an excellent source of antioxidants.2 Antioxidants, in a nutshell (or a teacup, as the case may be), are compounds that prevent or delay oxidative damage to the body, cells and tissue brought on by free radicals. There are two basic categories of antioxidants: those that are produced naturally by your body, and those that are supplied by your diet—and that’s where Tetley can help.

All black, green, white and red (rooibos) teas contain powerful and natural antioxidants called flavonoids. Flavonoid antioxidant levels are generally higher in green and white teas, as they are taken from the early leaves and buds from the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, and undergo less processing than other teas.

A growing body of evidence suggests that the antioxidants that occur naturally in tea can help your body in various ways, such as:

• Neutralize free radicals that can cause cell damage linked to certain cancers
• Inhibit the oxidation of LDL (bad cholesterol), helping you fight heart disease3
• Boost your immune system4 and help reduce infections by as much as 87%5
• A recent 2007 study conducted in the UK revealed that those who drank two or more cups of green tea a day had a 65% lower risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma6
• Studies have shown that black tea may protect lungs from damage caused by exposure to cigarette smoke and may also reduce the risk of stroke7
• A study published in the February 2009 Journal of Nutrition suggests that green tea may reduce the risk of breast cancer if plentiful amounts of the beverage are consumed over many years8
• Provide a boost to exercise-induced weight loss9

A serving of black tea contains more antioxidants than some common beverages, such as orange juice, white wine and apple juice.

Recent research has also looked into the antioxidant function of flavonoids in tea, compared with fruits and vegetables:

Flavonoid content of some everyday foods

Food	Flavonoid content (mg/100 g)
Apple, raw with skin	8.14 mg
Chocolate bar, dark	53.49 mg
Pears, raw with skin	4.15 mg
Peppermint, fresh	60.48 mg
Raspberries, fresh	47.6 mg
Spinach, raw	5.99 mg
Tea, black (brewed)	117.65 mg
Tea, green (brewed)	138.83 mg

 

For more information, or to see the complete list of foods, visit the USDA Nutrient Data Library site at http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/Flav/flav.html

For copy references please click here: http://www.tetleyusa.com/AboutTea_References.php