Tea is popular not only for its great taste but also for the many health benefits it brings. There are four types of tea: green, black, white, and oolong which are all made from the Camellia Sinensis plant, anything else such as hibiscus tea or ginger tea are infusion of different plants but not real tea.
Nothing is more satisfying for tea lovers than knowing that their favorite drink provides many health benefits. Here are top 6 reasons on why you should drink tea regularly.
- Weight Loss. Drinking tea promotes weight loss especially when combined with exercise and healthy diet. Tea increases the body’s ability to burn fats and boost metabolisms which results to weight loss. Tea also helps improve muscle endurance as it produces energy by burning fats.
- Lower Cholesterol Level. Tea, specifically green and black tea has been proven to lower cholesterol level. They contain catechins, a type of antioxidant which has cholesterol-lowering effects. It prevents absorption of cholesterol in the intestines and reduce total cholesterol level in the body.
- Good for the Heart. Consuming tea regularly may reduce the risk of developing heart disease. As mentioned above, tea contains an antioxidant that lowers cholesterol level which cause an anti-inflammatory effect in the heart. It prevents atherosclerosis, a disease in which fats or cholesterol is build up in the arteries that can eventually lead to serious heart problems such as angina, heart attack, or stroke. All types of tea contain this antioxidant but it is more abundant in green tea because of the difference in processing.
- Reduce Risk of Cancer. Cell damage, if not repaired, can result to genetic mutation which can put a person at risk of cancer. In the study done in Arizona Cancer Center at the University of Arizona, 143 men and women went through a test for four months. They are all heavy smokers and were asked to drink a specific beverage daily. The group was divided into three: one group drank green tea, the second group drank black tea, and the third drank water everyday. None of them quit smoking or changed their diet during the test. At the end, the green tea group has significantly cut cell damage while the black tea and water group has no changes on their result which means that drinking green tea everyday could prevent cancer.
- Protects the Skin. Everyday we are expose in free radicals through sun, pollution, smoke, and dust. These free radicals are the main cause of skin dryness and aging. Tea contains antioxidants that fight against free radicals which is good for the skin. Free radicals are also linked to cancer, heart disease, and neurological degeneration which means that drinking tea has good benefits for our entire body.
- Enhances Mental Performance. Tea improves memory and cognitive skills. In fact, a recent study from National University of Singapore shows that regular tea drinkers has better memory than non-tea drinkers.
