Goodness of Tea

AArticle by Mili Sarkar (Nutritionist /Yoga Instructor)

On average, Indian people drink approximately 3-4 cups of tea a day with about 70% of the UK & British population drinking tea on a regular basis. And tea drinking is most common in older people, the 40 plus age range On-going research is discovering that at this level of intake tea may offer significant health benefits. Drinking three or more cups of tea a day is as good for you as drinking plenty of water and may even have extra health benefits, say researchers.

The work in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition dispels the common belief that tea dehydrates. Tea not only rehydrates as well as water does, but it can also protect against heart disease and some cancers, UK nutritionists found. Experts believe flavonoids are the key ingredient in tea that promotes health.

Tea’s contribution to overall daily fluid intake as well as the presence of powerful antioxidants called flavonoids, tea, when taken with milk, may also contribute to our daily intake of certain nutrients. Taken on its own tea has no calories but when milk is added to it, can provide a number of vitamins & minerals. Tea provides 70% of our daily Fluid intake. Fluoride is needed to support bone mineralisation and protect teeth against dental caries. For further information about fluid and antioxidants, please refer to the fact sheets, ‘Tea and Hydration’ and ‘Tea and Antioxidant Properties’. Drinking tea is actually better than drinking water. Water is essentially replacing fluid. Tea replaces fluids and contains antioxidants so it's got two things going for it. Claire Williamson of the British Nutrition Foundation said: "Studies in the laboratory have shown potential health benefits.

The evidence in humans is not as strong and more studies need to be done. But there are definite potential health benefits from the polyphenols in terms of reducing the risk of diseases such as heart disease and cancer. In terms of fluid intake, we recommend 1.5-2 litres per day and that can include tea. Tea is not dehydrating. It is a healthy drink.

Studies on caffeine have found very high doses dehydrate and everyone assumes that caffeine-containing beverages dehydrate. But even if you had a really, really strong cup of tea or coffee, which is quite hard to make, you would still have a net gain of fluid. Also, a cup of tea contains fluoride, which is good for the teeth .There was no evidence that tea consumption was harmful to health. However, research suggests that tea can impair the body's ability to absorb iron from food, meaning people at risk of anaemia should avoid drinking tea around mealtimes. After reviewing numerous studies on the benefits of drinking tea, they've concluded that tea is a superior drink.

References:

National Drinks Survey, April 2001, Rao GS (1984) Dietary intake and bioavailability of fluoride.

Ann Rev Nutr 4; 115-136 , Holland, B., Welch, A.A., Unwin, I.D., Buss, D.H., Paul, A.A. and Southgate,

D.A.T. (1991) McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods, 5th

edition, Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge.

DoH (1991) Dietary Reference Values for Food Energy and Nutrients for the United Kingdom; Report of the panel on Dietary Reference Values of the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy.