Five Healthy Benefits of Drinking Black Tea

It’s one of the most popular drinks in the world. About 80% of tea drinkers choose black tea.1 It’s rich in antioxidants, nutrients, and amino acids. The result? A drink with major health benefits…from strengthening bones to preventing heart disease.

INH ResearchDecember 19, 2014

Here are five healthy benefits of drinking black tea:

1. Strengthens Bones: Studies show that black tea helps improve bone density. One study revealed higher bone density in daily drinkers than people who didn’t drink it.2 It’s the polyphenols that deliver this benefit.

Black tea can also help save your teeth. The antioxidants in it can kill bacteria. The kind that cause gum disease and tooth decay. Researchers found that three cups of it a day can fight off Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus. Even people who took tooth-rotting sugar in their tea saw some protective benefit… But we recommend you skip it completely.3

2. Improves Heart Health: Drinking a daily serving of black tea can reduce your stroke risks by up to 21%.4 One study found it helped lower total triglyceride levels by about 36% in three months.5 This is because it’s rich in theaflavins and thearubigins. You won’t find these compounds in green tea.

This same study also found over a 400% increase in the antioxidant concentration of subjects’ blood. More antioxidant power means less inflammation and oxidative stress. But there’s another benefit researchers found in this study…

3. Balances Blood Sugar: Researchers also revealed that black tea can decrease blood sugar levels by nearly 20%. It’s not surprising that other studies link black tea to a reduction in diabetes risk.6 One of them found that drinking this tea may help lower type 2 diabetes risk by as much as 70%.7 Another study revealed that four daily cups of black tea can reduce inflammation and oxidation in type 2 diabetics.8

4. Prevents Lung Damage: A team of researchers in India compared the lung-protective benefits of black tea in guinea pigs. After a week of testing, they found animals that drank water developed lung damage when exposed to cigarette smoke. But not the black tea group.

The guinea pigs that drank black tea didn’t experience oxidative stress or inflammation when they were exposed. This doesn’t mean drinking a ton of black tea can reverse the lung damage smoking causes… But it does suggest protection from secondhand smoke and toxin exposure.9

5. Reduces Cell Death: When important cells start to deteriorate and die in your body, it means serious trouble. Conditions like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Lou Gehrig’s disease. But black tea can help prevent neurodegenerative diseases…

A study from China found drinking it helped to lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. Researchers observed that subjects who drank the most saw a 29% reduction in risk. Yet green tea didn’t have this effect. This means black tea’s compounds may be unique when it comes to protecting your brain.10

To get the most health benefits from black tea, drink it in its natural, organic state. Don’t buy the sweetened or flavored varieties. And don’t steep it for too long. This may minimize the health benefits. You can find quality black tea in most health stores and online.

References:
1http://www.teausa.com/14655/tea-fact-sheet
2http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/3356550/Healthy-drinking-Tea-total.html
3http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2401287/Teas-dental-benefits-Black-tea-combats-bacteria-linked-tooth-decay-gum-disease.html
4http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19228856
5http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091743511004877
6http://www.berkeleywellness.com/healthy-eating/food/article/tea-benefits-research-wrap
7http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19259345
8http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4055352/
9http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1802835/
10http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/167/5/553.full

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