Health benefits of tea

Medically Reviewed by Dr Rob Hicks

A nice cup of tea is a refreshing start to the day for many people, or a welcome pick me up in the afternoon tea break.

In the UK, 165 million cups of tea are drunk every day. Britain is the second biggest tea drinking nation after Ireland.

Tea is made from the leaves of a bush called Camellia sinensis. For black tea, a process called oxidation turns the leaves from green to a dark brownish-black colour. Green tea comes from the same plant, but is not oxidised.

Oolong tea is made from leaves of the same plant that green and black teas come from. The difference lies in how long the leaves ferment. Green tea leaves are unfermented, while leaves for black tea are fully fermented. Oolong comes from leaves that are partially fermented.

But is there more to the cup of tea and any actual health benefits? We look at the evidence for the health benefits of ordinary black tea from a teapot or tea bag, and green tea.

There is evidence to back the use of tea as a pick me up, it contains caffeine and a stimulating substance called theophylline. These can speed up the heart rate and make you feel more alert.

Black tea extract is sold as a supplement.

Black tea is also full of healthy substances called polyphenols. Polyphenols areantioxidants that can help protect your cells from DNA damage.

One study found that drinking 3 cups of black tea a day lowered blood pressure, but UK experts said more research is needed to confirm the benefits.

Drinking black tea may help protect against type 2 diabetes, but further studies are needed to confirm an association.

Some scientists think that specific antioxidants in tea, including polyphenols and catechins, may help prevent some types of cancer. For example, some research shows that women who regularly drink black tea have a much lower risk of ovarian cancer than women who do not. More research is needed to confirm this. So far, research has shown that black tea does not lower the risk of breast, stomach, orcolorectal cancer.

There is some evidence that the antioxidants in black tea may reduceatherosclerosis or clogged arteries and help lower the risk of heart attack.

Regularly drinking black tea may reduce stroke risk and also lower your risk of these conditions:

• Diabetes
• High cholesterol
• Kidney stones
• Parkinson’s disease

But more research about black tea's effect on these conditions is needed to be sure.

Early evidence hints that long-term use of black tea may also help protect againstosteoporosis and lung cancer, but larger-scale studies are needed to confirm these uses.

As well as possible health benefits of back tea, some research suggests that post-menopausal women who drink tea may have a higher risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis than non-tea drinkers.

Heather

1.Heather twigs were once used for making brooms. 

2.Heather is native to Ireland,Scotland, Scandinavia, Russia and North America

3.Heather branches are also said to have been used to make baskets and rope.

4. Heather branches have been known to flavour tea or even beer.

5. It is believed that heather can protect you.

Tea

Happy Thursday morning

Does Black Tea Help Prevent Cavities?
New studies, funded by the Tea Trade Health Research Association, found several doses of black tea every day not only reduced plaque build-up but also helped control bacteria.

"We found that the black tea infusion can inhibit or suppress the growth of bacteria that promotes cavities and affect their ability to attach to tooth surfaces," Christine Wu, professor of periodontics at the University of Illinois and lead researcher on one part of the study.

Wu said that while earlier studies in Japan have shown the cavity-fighting benefits of green tea, known for its rich antioxidants, her team chose to focus on black tea, which is more popular in western culture.

The research is part of a collaborative study done in conjunction with the College of Dentistry at the University of Iowa and the Institute of Odontology at Goeteborg University in Sweden. The findings were presented at a meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in Orlando, Florida.

Dental plaque contains more than 300 species of bacteria that adhere to tooth surfaces and produce cavity-causing acid. Plaque is also a leading cause of gum disease.

A specific element of black tea, called polyphenols, killed or suppressed cavity-causing bacteria from either growing or producing acid, according to Wu's study. The tea also affected the bacterial enzymes and prevented the formation of the sticky-like material that binds plaque to teeth.

Participants in the study rinsed with tea for 30 seconds, five times, waiting three minutes between each rinse.

"We were trying to simulate what people did while sipping tea," Wu said.

A similar study by Goeteborg University, where participants rinsed with tea for one minute 10 times per day, showed comparable results. Both studies showed that the more people rinsed, the more their plaque and bacteria levels fell.

In the University of Iowa study, researchers looked at the impact of black tea's fluoride content on preventing cavities but found the benefits less clear. They exposed pre-cavity lesions to black tea but saw little change, suggesting that tea's cavity-fighting ability stems from a complicated reaction between it and bacteria.

Fluoride Not A Factor?
"We had very little results, which implies that if tea is having a result in normal use it's not from fluoride," said James Wefel, professor and director of the Dows Institute of Dental Research at the University of Iowa.

Of course, to help prevent cavities the tea must truly be "black," without sugar, milk, honey or other additives. Researchers also stressed drinking black tea should not replace traditional oral hygiene.

"Tea will affect the plaque formation but one has to brush their teeth to remove the plaque," Wu said. "It's a must." And while black tea may fight cavities, it does not combat tooth stains.

Tea

 Sipping on a cup of hot tea may be a safeguard against cancer. Population studies have linked the consumption of tea with a reduction in risk for several types of cancer. Researchers speculate that the polyphenols in tea may inhibit certain mechanisms that promote cancer growth. Both green and black teas have been credited with cancer-inhibiting powers.

Flu: You may be able to boost your fight against the flu with black tea.
Your best defense against contracting the flu is to wash your hands often and get vaccinated against the influenza virus. Black tea may further bolster your efforts to stay healthy. In a recent study, people who gargled with a black tea extract solution twice per day showed a higher immunity to flu virus compared to the people who did not gargle with black tea.

Happy Wednesday

A hot cup of tea may do more than relax you. Research shows tea consumption may help prevent a wide range of ailments. The latest medical research is finding potential healing powers in this ancient beverage. The benefits of tea consumption may extend throughout the body, experts believe. Here is a partial list of conditions some research has shown may be prevented or improved by drinking tea:

Arthritis: Research suggests that older women who are tea drinkers are 60 percent less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than those who do not drink tea.

Bone Density: Drinking tea regularly for years may produce stronger bones. Those who drank tea on a regular basis for 10 or more years had higher-bone mineral density in their spines than those who had not.

Afternoon Tea

Afternoon tea

Keep Calm

Take Afternoon Tea

And don't forget the cupcakes!

What is Afternoon Tea?

Afternoon Tea was introduced in Britain in the early 1840s. It evolved as a mini meal to stem the hunger and anticipation of an evening meal at 8pm.