references
European Journal of Preventive Cardiology: “Tea consumption and the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality: The China-PAR project”
Advances in Nutrition: “Tea Consumption and Risk of Cancer: An Umbrella Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies”
Heart: “Tea consumption and risk of ischaemic heart disease”
Annals of Epidemiology: “Black tea consumption and risk of stroke in women and men”
Stroke: “The impact of green tea and coffee consumption on the reduced risk of stroke incidence in Japanese population: the Japan public health center-based study cohort”
National Library of Medicine: “Black Tea”
Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging: “Tea Consumption and Health-Related Quality of Life in Older Adults”
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL)”
Osteoporosis International: “Tea consumption and bone health in Chinese adults: a population-based study”
Phytomedicine: "Green tea effects on cognition, mood and human brain function: A systematic review"
Nutrients: "Association of Tea Consumption with Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease and Anti-Beta-Amyloid Effects of Tea"
PennMedicine: "The Hidden Health Benefits of Tea"
Drinking tea daily is linked with benefits for your heart, brain and bones that can keep you healthier, longer.
Image Credit: Granger Wootz/Tetra images/GettyImages
Image Credit: Granger Wootz/Tetra images/GettyImages
- Longevity Benefits of Tea
- How to Drink More
First things first: With so many tea varieties, it can be confusing to suss out which to sip strategically for healthy aging. To simplify, the main difference lies between true teas and herbal teas. “True” teas — black, green, oolong, pu-erh and white — are all processed from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, says Katrina Hartog, MPH, RD, CDN, director of clinical nutrition at Mount Sinai Health System. While the type of tea produced depends on different leaf harvesting and processing techniques, all true teas have certain key components in common that provide medicinal properties, including disease-fighting antioxidants and caffeine, Hartog says. On the other hand, herbal teas come from the roots, leaves, flowers, herbs, spices, fruit, seeds or dried herbs of other plants, Hartog says. “Herbal teas do not contain any caffeine, and the polyphenol content is highly variable depending on the plant origin,” she adds. Because the majority of the health benefits of tea hinge on antioxidants and caffeine, this article will focus on the perks of true teas unless otherwise specified.
“True” teas — black, green, oolong, pu-erh and white — are all processed from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, says Katrina Hartog, MPH, RD, CDN, director of clinical nutrition at Mount Sinai Health System.
While the type of tea produced depends on different leaf harvesting and processing techniques, all true teas have certain key components in common that provide medicinal properties, including disease-fighting antioxidants and caffeine, Hartog says.
On the other hand, herbal teas come from the roots, leaves, flowers, herbs, spices, fruit, seeds or dried herbs of other plants, Hartog says. “Herbal teas do not contain any caffeine, and the polyphenol content is highly variable depending on the plant origin,” she adds.
Because the majority of the health benefits of tea hinge on antioxidants and caffeine, this article will focus on the perks of true teas unless otherwise specified.
It’s hard to say. “There are too few studies observing effects of herbal tea consumption and health effects to draw any conclusions,” Hartog says. Still, you shouldn’t rule out the possible plusses of drinking herbal tea, Holtzer says. For example, certain herbal teas (like mint tea) can help alleviate digestive difficulties, such as gas, bloating and stomach cramps, while others (like chamomile, lavender and valerian root teas) can be soothing and help you catch some shut-eye, she says.
Still, you shouldn’t rule out the possible plusses of drinking herbal tea, Holtzer says. For example, certain herbal teas (like mint tea) can help alleviate digestive difficulties, such as gas, bloating and stomach cramps, while others (like chamomile, lavender and valerian root teas) can be soothing and help you catch some shut-eye, she says.
European Journal of Preventive Cardiology: “Tea consumption and the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality: The China-PAR project”
Advances in Nutrition: “Tea Consumption and Risk of Cancer: An Umbrella Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies”
Heart: “Tea consumption and risk of ischaemic heart disease”
Annals of Epidemiology: “Black tea consumption and risk of stroke in women and men”
Stroke: “The impact of green tea and coffee consumption on the reduced risk of stroke incidence in Japanese population: the Japan public health center-based study cohort”
National Library of Medicine: “Black Tea”
Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging: “Tea Consumption and Health-Related Quality of Life in Older Adults”
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL)”
Osteoporosis International: “Tea consumption and bone health in Chinese adults: a population-based study”
Phytomedicine: "Green tea effects on cognition, mood and human brain function: A systematic review"
Nutrients: "Association of Tea Consumption with Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease and Anti-Beta-Amyloid Effects of Tea"
PennMedicine: "The Hidden Health Benefits of Tea"
