Tea Time

When tea mavens talk about tea, they mean black, green, white, or oolong teas, all of which are made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Herbal brews, like chamomile and peppermint, are not technically considered tea. They're infusions of other plants with different nutritional characteristics. If you're not sure what kind you're drinking, check the ingredients for the word "tea."

What makes the four tea types different from each other is the way the leaves are prepared and how mature they are. Black tea is made from leaves that have been wilted (dried out) and then fully oxidized (meaning that chemicals in the leaves are modified through exposure to air). Green tea's leaves are wilted but not oxidized. Oolong tea is wilted and then only partially oxidized, and white tea is not wilted or oxidized at all.

All four types are high in polyphenols, a type of antioxidant that seems to protect cells from the DNA damage that can cause cancer and other diseases. Most research has focused on black tea, which is what about 75% of the world drinks, and green tea, the most commonly consumed variety in China and Japan. Green tea contains an especially high amount of antioxidants—in particular, a type of polyphenol called a catechin.

A 2009 review of 51 green tea studies found that sipping three to five cups a day may lower the risks of ovarian, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancers, but not breast or other cancers. As for black tea, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) deems it "possibly effective" for reducing the risk of ovarian cancer, and "possibly ineffective" for lowering the risk of stomach and colorectal cancers.

One to four cups of black or green tea a day has also been linked with a lower risk of Parkinson's disease, according to the NIH.

Drinking tea may be helpful in preventing or delaying certain risk factors of cardiovascular disease, and lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides. One Japanese study found that adults who drank five or more cups of green tea per day had a 26% reduction in death from heart attack or stroke compared with those who had one cup or less; the effect was greater in women than in men.

More research needs to be done on other potential benefits. One small study suggested that the catechins and caffeine in green tea may give dieters a small metabolic boost that could amount to burning a few dozen extra calories per day.

There's also evidence that drinking tea may help ward off osteoporosis and reduce the incidence of cavities, due to the fluoride it contains. And EGCG, that green-tea antioxidant, has been found to increase the number of important immune-boosting cells.

The vast majority of the research conducted has been observational, meaning scientists can't know if the medical boosts seen in tea drinkers are definitely a result of that habit, or some other factor that makes these people healthier. And many of the studies that have looked at specific compounds in tea have been conducted in labs or on animals, not on people. These chemicals act as antioxidants in a test tube, but they may not do the same in your body. That said, experts agree that a daily cup, or five, won't hurt you, and may well help fight disease. If you're trying to limit your caffeine intake, go for decaf—it has antioxidants too, though fewer than the caffeinated kind.

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