With this, let’s start talking about the effect of tea on the body. Man, and tea have been together not so long ago (China is an exception), and in almost all cultures, tea has appeared as a medicine. It definitely has healing properties; humanity has had enough time to be convinced of this. There are also stories of miraculous healing with tea, mostly Chinese and biofit tea for Philippines. Tea has long been an adjunct in official medicine, and in folk medicine it can be the main one.
The relatively rapid increase in availability and the perfect flavor combination with sugar, which also became available, made tea a popular warm drink. In the second half of the 20th century, the development of medicine made it possible to take a closer look at its properties and their effect on the human body. The development of communications in our time makes it possible to gain access to a large amount of information about tea. We try to keep track of everything new and study well forgotten old, and we will be happy to share this with you.
The most understandable today is the effect on the human body of caffeine in general, and contained in tea in particular. We wrote about this here, add that an average cup of tea contains 25-100 mg of caffeine, while a cup of coffee contains 80-200 mg. Tea is preferred for those with caffeine problems. Naturally, we are talking about well and tasty brewed drinks, and not about a watery substance in either case.
The big advantage of tea is the absence of the theobromine effect inherent in coffee, when the 25 minutes of vigor caused by the drink is replaced by a state of “below average” within an hour. Therefore, tea is suitable for cases when vigor and concentration are needed for several hours.
Before talking about other aspects of the effect of tea on the human body, a brief hierarchical reference on the substances that will be discussed:
- Polyphenols are chemical compounds found in vegetables, fruits, drinks, spices, herbs, grains, and nuts. The highest content of them is in black currants, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, plums, apples, grapes, tea, coffee, cocoa, hazelnuts, dark chocolate, red wine, natural apple and pomegranate juices.
- Flavonoids are the largest class found in polyphenols.
- Flavanols are a large group in flavanoids.
- Catechins are the main family in flavanols.
Polyphenols are very complex and varied in structure, their metabolic fate and detailed effects on the body are difficult to trace. The general usefulness of them is beyond doubt, however, for example, in the United States, labeling of polyphenolic extracts as antioxidant is prohibited.
With catechins, as with simpler substances, it turned out to be easier to determine their properties, to obtain and interpret the results, although here medicine and science are at the beginning. So, in fact, tea turned out to be in the center of attention – if by the content of polyphenols it is in the middle of the list of nominees, then by the content of catechins it is an absolute champion.
Dry tea extract can consist of 30-40% catechins, and in a ready-to-drink form, the situation is as follows:
- 100 ml of brewed regular green tea contains 127 mg of catechins.
- 100 ml decaffeinated green tea 56 mg
- 100 g dark chocolate 54 mg
- 100 g blueberries 52 mg
- 100 ml brewed oolong 50 mg
- 100 ml flavored green tea 43 mg
- 100 g blackberries 42 mg
- 100 g apple peel 36 mg
- 100 g plum 33 mg
- 100 ml brewed black tea 28 mg
- 100 g black grapes 22 mg
- 100 ml bottled green tea 12 mg
- 100 ml red wine 11 mg
- 100 g milk chocolate 8 mg
- 100 g white grapes 0 mg
The catechin content of different teas varies depending on the type of tea, the harvest season and harvesting conditions, leaf age, climate, growing methods, and drying and technological processes during tea production.
These are very powerful phytochemicals that ultimately give green tea a variety of health benefits. Thus, adding such foods to the diet will enhance any diet.
In general, speaking about tea and its meaning, we note that:
- It’s a good and enjoyable way to get some of the fluids your body needs every day.
- Tea can increase physical endurance – catechins increase the body’s ability to burn fat for fuel, which helps to increase muscle endurance.
- Tea can help the body recover from radiation.
- Tea can reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. It helps prevent dangerous blood clots from forming, which are very common causes of heart attacks and strokes.
- Tea aids digestion and can also reduce intestinal inflammation and relieve stomach cramps.
- Tea may slightly increase metabolism, which is beneficial in the long term.
- Tea can affect the body’s immune defenses and can be a prophylaxis against colds and infections.
- Tea reduces the likelihood of cognitive impairment and neurological disease.
- Tea can reduce the effects of food poisoning.
- Tea can eliminate bad breath.
- Honeymoon herbal tea can improve your love life.
And questions that need further research:
- an effect that contributes to the normal regulation of blood flow in humans and the normalization of blood pressure;
- impact on cholesterol levels;
- positive immune effects;
- impact on reducing the risk of type II diabetes;
- parameters of antioxidant effects on the body.
For these points, there is both positive evidence of the presence of such influences, and the lack of confirmation of any impact.
Now about the possible negative points associated with tea:
- Tea can cause addiction associated with caffeine.
- Excessive consumption of caffeine can lead to nervousness, anxiety, tremors and sleep disturbances. There is also an individual intolerance to caffeine, when these symptoms appear even from a small amount of tea. Also, in this case, an increase in blood pressure is possible.
- Drinking too much green tea can cause problems with the absorption of iron in the body – this is prevented by the tannins in the tea. One way to fix this problem is to add lemon. A simple increase in the iron content in food, in turn, reduces the antioxidant properties of tea, iron compounds with polyphenols will simply leave the body without entering the bloodstream.
- Green tea is acidic and therefore can affect the lining of the esophagus, irritating it and causing an acid reflex or heartburn.
- Green tea beginners can experience diarrhea as a side effect.
- The same category of persons may experience allergic reactions
- Tea is not recommended for urinary tract infections
- Tea can interfere with the action of a number of drugs on the body, in each case this issue needs to be clarified with the attending physician.
- Tea is not recommended or should be limited during pregnancy due to caffeine and diuretic properties.
Sometimes it’s just business
Of course, the market will focus on positive opportunities for the body, therefore, green tea extracts with a content of catechins, mainly EGCG, up to 80% are already acting on it. EGCG – epigallocatechin gallate, a biologically active compound with a high probability of interaction with other organic molecules and cellular processes, is positioned as a powerful antioxidant. The American Medical Society, in turn, notes that while foods rich in antioxidants have some protective effect on the body, it is not yet clear that this action comes from the antioxidants themselves, and in addition, antioxidant supplements can, by eliminating one problem, cause comparable.
There is an exemption in history in 1985. a catechin-containing preparation “Catergen”, used for the treatment of viral hepatitis, from the European market due to renal failure it causes.
Also, along with the active promotion of green tea extracts as weight loss supplements, there are reports of liver problems caused by high doses of EGCG.
Further research is needed, the in vitro (in vitro) result will not always be confirmed in vivo (in the cell), large-scale and high-quality studies will never give 100% – an unambiguous result. Take your time to donate your body to science.
No guys, just tea
In general, we will wait with the extracts. Tea is arguably the healthiest drink on the planet, billions of people enjoy drinking it every day and feel its benefits.
Its magical effect, which manifested itself for individual people, is true for these people.
Let us remind you once again about the variety of tea varieties, growing and harvesting conditions, climate, growing and processing methods, brewing method – you cannot get from tea what is not in it, and finding your own tea can be an exciting and useful activity.
Man and tea will be together for a long time, the main thing is to remember what Paracelsus spoke about.
A warning
We remind you that this is general information and does not in any way replace qualified medical opinion. Always consult with a specialist or your own doctor for more information.