April 13, 2011

10 Scientific Facts About Tea


There are a lot of health benefits of tea, and much has been written about its history. It can be hard sometimes to pick out the truth from the myths but here are some scientifically proven facts about the nation's favourite drink.

1. Tea contains only small traces of caffeine. If you place the same quantity of
tea next to the same amount of coffee then the tea will contain between one third and one half of the amount of caffeine depending on the brand of coffee that is used.

2. Tea is not a natural diuretic. Because it contains such a small element of caffeine, scientific studies have shown that you would have to drink between six and seven cups of tea in one sitting before it had any diuretic effect.

3. Moderate tea drinking can have a beneficial affect on your teeth. Tea contains trace elements of fluoride which helps in the fight against tooth decay and gum disease.

4. Of the many health benefits that tea provides, there are several unusual ones that you may not expect. For instance, cold tea applied to sunburnt areas of the skin can have an initial soothing affect.

5. Tea can have a calming effect on the drinker. A study by the University College London took participants, half of which drank 4 cups of black tea daily for six weeks while the other half took a tea substitute. At the end of the study they were given some energetic and challenging tasks. The half that had drunk tea showed a significant reduction in the stress hormone cortisol.

6. Tea is around 99% water, and as such counts towards your daily fluid intake. Some people have wrongly suggested that tea can dehydrate you but because the caffeine element of tea is so small; the opposite is in fact true.

7. Tea can even help to keep your breath fresh! A study by the University of Illinois in Chicago showed that polyphenols contained in tea actively helped to inhibit the bacteria that cause halitosis.

8. Scientists have recommended that 4 cups of tea per day is the optimum amount to fully enjoy all the health benefits that it provides. 4 cups taken with milk will provide you with 22% of your daily intake of B2 vitamin and 17% of your daily intake of calcium.

9. Tea contains a high proportion of anti-oxidants that are beneficial to your health. In many cases tea contains higher traces or these anti-oxidants than some fruit and vegetables and they can be absorbed into the bloodstream more quickly too.

10. Tea can help you sleep! Once again there has been a misplaced theory that tea keeps you awake at night due to the caffeine that it contains. However, because the caffeine is low and the fact that tea has the calming effect that you've already read about then tea can help you drift off into a blissful night's sleep.

Tea has many scientifically proven health benefits and what can be better than a healthy cup of tea that is so enjoyable to drink?


Source: www.articlesbase.com
Image: www.lh6.googleusercontent.com

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