Everything in Moderation...

Although there are great health benefits from both Tea and Coffee
it is always good to partake in moderation.

Health Benefits of Coffee

Wikipedia: Health Benefits of Coffee
WebMD: Coffee: The new Health Food?
Science Daily: Moderate Coffee Drinking Reduces Many Risks
ICO - International Coffee Organization: Positively Coffee

Health Benefits of Tea

Tea: The potential effects on health
Wikipedia: Potential Effects of Tea on Health
WebMD: Antioxidants in Green and Black Tea
Science Daily: Drinking Tea May Offer Health Benefits, But...
Tea USA: Overview of Research on Potential Health Benefits of Tea

Our Comments on the
Health Benefits of Tea

 

Tea is a complex plant

Tea is full of compounds that are beneficial
to the human body. The primary nutrients of tea include:
vitamins C, K, B12, B6 and E, and minerals such as potassium, manganese, magnesium, calcium, and fluoride.

Tea provides other health benefits:

Tea contains 2 major anti-oxidants, flavonoids and catechins. Flavonoids have been proven to improve coronary flow, lower total cholesterol levels,
as well as improving the ratio of
good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol.

Recent studies have shown

Drinking as little as a half-cup of green or oolong tea per day
may lower the risk of high blood pressure by nearly 50%.

The flavonoids in tea help reduce plaque, which can
reduce the chance of cavities and gum disease.

Catechins have been found to stop oxidants before cell injury could occur, reduce the incidence and size of tumors, and constrain the growth of tumor cells. One particular catechin in green tea
(EGCG) is able to target and stabilize unruly proteins
in a way that no cancer drug is currently able to do.

Researchers believe that the catechins in tea may suppress the production of angiotension II which leads to high blood pressure.

Catechins in tea have insulin-enhancing activity, which means the body has better control of blood sugar. Catechins were shown to suppress blood sugar because they suppressed
the enzymes that turn starch into sugar.

Catechins raise the rate of calories being burned,
the overall expenditure of energy and they improve fat metabolism.
Research subjects that drank 5 cups of green tea a day burned
70-80 calories more each day, which can lead to better weight control.

Other health benefits of tea include

Improved relaxation and mood thanks to the chemical L-theanine combined with the small amount of caffeine in tea.

A cup of tea contains 1/2 to 1/3 less caffeine than a cup of coffee.
When making tea, the length of the infusion affects caffeine content. Shorter brewing time results in less caffeine in the cup.
Black tea infused for 5 minutes = 40-100 milligrams
Black tea infused for 3 minutes= 20-40 milligrams

If you wish to naturally decaffeinate your tea you can simply
discard the hot water within the first 20-30 seconds,
and then add fresh hot water to finish brewing.
About 80% of the caffeine in tea is released
within the first 20-30 seconds.
This works particularly well with loose leaf teas.

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