Is tea beneficial for health? What should you pay attention to when consuming tea, the indispensable drink of cold weather?
The positive effects of teas on health, consumed by different cultures around the world for thousands of years, are supported by science. They also attract attention as the most consumed beverage in the world after water.
This beverage, which offers countless varieties from traditional black tea to fruit and herbal teas and alternatives with different brewing methods, is frequently preferred, especially in cold weather. In addition, tea is of great importance as a drink that supports the treatment of many health problems such as flu infections, throat problems, stress and insomnia.
Is tea beneficial for health?
Tea has many benefits, but like all foods, it should be consumed sparingly.
• In a study conducted on humans, it was observed that the polyphenols in black tea reduced LDL cholesterol by 11.1% and could prevent arteriosclerosis and cancer formation.[1]
• Current studies show that some herbal teas such as green tea, sage, marshmallow, thyme, hawthorn, linden and mate tea can strengthen the immune system, fight inflammation, help improve diabetes, prevent sleep disorders, cardiovascular health and even some dermatological diseases.[2, 3, 4]
• These benefits come from the alkaloid-phenolic compounds, vitamins-minerals and specific antioxidants found in tea. However, herbal teas should never be used instead of medical treatment, they can only be used as a supportive element.[5]
Be careful when purchasing tea bags!
Herbal teas are made by mixing or infusing dried fruits, flowers, spices, or herbs in water, and many beverages marketed as herbal teas are nothing more than sugary fruit juice. Avoid herbal teas that contain added sugar and other additives.
When the filtered tea bags on the market were examined, foreign substances were detected in some herbal tea bags and mostly the buds of the plant could not be found. The situation is the opposite with muslin tea bags. Muslin herbal tea bags contain both the buds of the plant and save you from exposure to plastic and bisphenol A.[6, 7]
Benefits of three healthy herbal teas:
Ginger tea
Ginger tea, known as a cure for nausea, has a spicy and full-bodied taste. Gingerol helps fight diseases thanks to its main bioactive substance. It also contains trace amounts of vitamins/minerals such as vitamins B3 and B6, iron, potassium and vitamin C. Ginger is known to strengthen the immune system and fight inflammation. A recent systematic review of its effects on human health supports ginger’s ability to help treat a range of disorders, including gastrointestinal function, pain, inflammation, metabolic syndrome, and more.[8]
Ginger might slow blood clotting and may be potentially dangerous for people taking antiplatelet medications such as aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix), or anticoagulant medications such as warfarin (Coumadin), apixaban (Eliquis), dabigatran (Pradaxa), or rivaroxaban (Xarelto). Additionally, ginger may cause extra bleeding during and after surgery. If you have a health problem or are pregnant, you should consult your healthcare provider to determine whether drinking ginger is safe for you.
Chamomile Tea
Chamomile tea is more than just a soothing drink before bed. Chamomile contains various bioactive phytochemicals, especially flavonoids, which act as antioxidants. It also contains small amounts of minerals and vitamins such as potassium, calcium, carotene and folate, among other nutrients.
Studies report a variety of benefits of chamomile, including reducing the risk of death from heart disease, immune system support, and possible protection against some cancers. According to one review, chamomile may also help women suffering from premenstrual pain. Researchers highlight the anti-inflammatory and anti-anxiety effects of tea. Interestingly, some studies show that chamomile may even slow age-related bone loss.[9] If you are severely allergic to pollen, you should avoid chamomile as it may cause cross-contamination with pollen from other plants.
Hibiscus Tea
Hibiscus provides antioxidant power and contains small amounts of potassium, calcium and magnesium minerals. There is some evidence that hibiscus, which offers antiviral and cardiovascular benefits thanks to its antioxidant “anthocyanin” content, helps reduce blood pressure, triglyceride and LDL cholesterol levels. You should avoid drinking hibiscus if you are taking the diuretic drug hydrochlorothiazide.[10] At the same time, hibiscus tea may block the effects of aspirin.
References:
- Davies MJ, Judd JT, Baer DJ, Clevidence BA, Paul DR, Edwards AJ, Wiseman SA, Muesing RA, Chen SC. Black tea consumption reduces total and LDL cholesterol in mildly hypercholesterolemic adults. J Nutr. 2003 Oct;133(10):3298S-3302S. doi: 10.1093/jn/133.10.3298S. PMID: 14519829.
- Klein GA, Stefanuto A, Boaventura BC, de Morais EC, Cavalcante Lda S, de Andrade F, Wazlawik E, Di Pietro PF, Maraschin M, da Silva EL. Mate tea (Ilex paraguariensis) improves glycemic and lipid profiles of type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes individuals: a pilot study. J Am Coll Nutr. 2011 Oct;30(5):320-32. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2011.10719975. PMID: 22081618.
- Winiarska-Mieczan A, Tomaszewska E, Jachimowicz K. Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, and Immunomodulatory Properties of Tea-The Positive Impact of Tea Consumption on Patients with Autoimmune Diabetes. Nutrients. 2021 Nov 7;13(11):3972. doi: 10.3390/nu13113972. PMID: 34836227; PMCID: PMC8625657.
- Meng JM, Cao SY, Wei XL, Gan RY, Wang YF, Cai SX, Xu XY, Zhang PZ, Li HB. Effects and Mechanisms of Tea for the Prevention and Management of Diabetes Mellitus and Diabetic Complications: An Updated Review. Antioxidants (Basel). 2019 Jun 10;8(6):170. doi: 10.3390/antiox8060170. PMID: 31185622; PMCID: PMC6617012.
- Koch W, Zagórska J, Marzec Z, Kukula-Koch W. Applications of Tea (Camellia sinensis) and its Active Constituents in Cosmetics. Molecules. 2019 Nov 24;24(23):4277. doi: 10.3390/molecules24234277. PMID: 31771249; PMCID: PMC6930595.
- Campanale C, Massarelli C, Savino I, Locaputo V, Uricchio VF. A Detailed Review Study on Potential Effects of Microplastics and Additives of Concern on Human Health. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Feb 13;17(4):1212. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17041212. PMID: 32069998; PMCID: PMC7068600.
- Ali T, Habib A, Muskan F, Mumtaz S, Shams R. Health risks posed by microplastics in tea bags: microplastic pollution – a truly global problem. Int J Surg. 2023 Mar 1;109(3):515-516. doi: 10.1097/JS9.0000000000000055. PMID: 36927815; PMCID: PMC10389239.
- Healthline, What Are the Health Benefits of Ginger Tea? Medically reviewed by Maya Feller, MS, RD, CDN, Nutrition — By Ariane Lang, BSc, MBA and Annamarya Scaccia — Updated on February 15, 2023
- Srivastava JK, Shankar E, Gupta S. Chamomile: A herbal medicine of the past with bright future. Mol Med Rep. 2010 Nov 1;3(6):895-901. doi: 10.3892/mmr.2010.377. PMID: 21132119; PMCID: PMC2995283.
- Ellis LR, Zulfiqar S, Holmes M, Marshall L, Dye L, Boesch C. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of Hibiscus sabdariffa on blood pressure and cardiometabolic markers. Nutr Rev. 2022 May 9;80(6):1723-1737. doi: 10.1093/nutrit/nuab104. PMID: 34927694; PMCID: PMC9086798.