Health Benefits of Black Tea You Might Not Know
Black tea is more oxidized than oolong, yellow, white and green teas. Black tea, also translated to red tea in various East Asian languages, is generally stronger in flavour than other teas due to the complex oxidation process. Made from the leaves of a bush called Camellia sinensis, black tea has caffeine as well as other stimulants and antioxidants. Black tea, therefore, works as a great energy booster. A process called oxidation (the leaves are exposed to moist and oxygen-rich air) turns the leaves from green to a dark brownish-black color.
India produces half of the world's black tea, with Sri Lanka and Africa making up a large percentage of production. People around the world drink black tea either hot or cold. However, according to the experts it should always be steeped in hot water before it is cooled. Black tea is preferred for breakfast and afternoon tea. Its bold flavor makes them perfect for pairing with Western cuisine and as well as with some Indian, Thai, and African foods.
Benefits of Black Tea
A prospective study of half a million tea drinkers in the United Kingdom has shown that
higher tea intake was associated with a modestly lowered risk of death. The study, led by researchers at the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, is a large and comprehensive analysis of the potential mortality benefits of drinking black tea, which is the most common type of tea consumed in the U.K.
Past studies finding a modest association between higher tea intake and lower risk of death have mainly focused on Asian populations, who commonly drink green tea. Studies on black tea have yielded mixed results.
In the new study, the researchers found that people who consumed two or more cups of tea per day had a 9% to 13% lower risk of death from any cause than people who did not drink tea. Higher tea consumption was also associated with a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, ischemic heart disease, and stroke. The association was seen regardless of preferred tea temperature, the addition of milk or sugar, and genetic variations affecting the rate at which people metabolize caffeine.
The findings, which appear Aug. 30, 2022, in the Annals of Internal Medicine, suggest that black tea, even at higher levels of intake, can be part of a healthy diet, the researchers wrote.
The study involved 498,043 men and women between ages 40 and 69 who participated in a large cohort study called UK Biobank. The participants were followed for about 11 years, and death information came from a linked database from the UK National Health Service.
Black tea is rich in antioxidants that may provide benefits including improved heart and gut health, lowered “bad” LDL cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. The earlier studies and researches have found that drinking black tea regularly may lower your risk for these conditions:
- Diabetes
- Blood Pressure
- High cholesterol
- Kidney stones
- Parkinson’s disease
- Osteoporosis
- Cavities (Dental caries)
Drinking black tea has a wide range of health benefits as it contains lots of powerful antioxidants and other compounds which have potential to decrease inflammation and to reduce the risk for the onset of chronic conditions. Drinking black tea is an excellent option if you are looking for an alternative to coffee or energy drinks. Black tea contains powerful groups of polyphenols including epigallocatechin gallate, theaflavins, thearubigins, an amino acid L-theanine, and several other catechins or flavonoids which provide protection against the onset of several chronic disorders.