Long Term Health Benefits of Daily Tea Drinking

Many people have some sort of morning ritual involving either coffee or tea, but studies have shown time and time again the health benefits of teas, from reducing inflammation to cancer prevention.

A plant-based diet can help shield you from cancer.   Plants are rich in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant substances that help them (and us) withstand exposure to ultraviolet radiation, air pollution and other noxious substances.  Oxidative damage and inflammation promote cancer in addition to other chronic diseases.  Some plant chemicals even enhance the body's detoxification systems,stimulate the immune system and have direct anti-cancer effects.

Black, green and oolong tea all come from the plant Camellia senesis.  Population studies link higher tea consumption with a reduced risk of gastrointestinal, pancreatic, bladder, prostate, ovarian,uterine and breast cancer.  Green tea is particularly rich in the polyphenol epigallocatechin gullet.  In lab research, it inhibits cancer cell formation, proliferation, invasiveness, and metastasis and provokes cancer cell death.  Aim for two to three cups of green tea a day.

In Chinese Medicine, tea is believed to counteract the damage inflicted by greasy foods.  Westerners began to take notice of tea's healthful effects when a Dutch study in the early 1990s showed that the anti-oxidant flavonoids in tea reduce the risk of heart disease.  Many subsequent studies have shown that tea protects the heart.  It's high in antioxidant compounds that prevent- and undo- the cell damage at the root of heart disease (and most cancers).  Researchers at the University of North Carolina analyzed 17 studies of tea and heart disease.  Their conclusion:  Three cups a day (black, green, oolong or other varieties) reduces heart attack risk by 11 percent.

If drinking tea in the afternoon makes it difficult to fall asleep, make your last cup before noon.  Green tea has the least amount of caffeine and is higher in flavonoids than black tea, making this ideal.  I like to drink green tea in the summer when it's hot as it has a cooling quality to it and during the winter, moving to the cook teas like black, Earl Grey or Oolong.  If you currently drink coffee everyday and are worried about the caffeine crash in switching over, try a strong black tea (double bag even) in the morning, it can make a smoother transition and you don't have to feel guilty about having a second cup later.