Tea is the latest trending drink - What you need to know about tea and it's health benefits
Attention all you coffee snobs - tea is the latest cool caffeine fix! Time to swing-shift the beans to the leaves.
Coffee is full of caffeine that’s addictive and gives you headaches and disrupts sleep. Excessive consumption has been linked to heart disease and cancer. Although coffee increases short term alertness and focus, users quickly become tolerant: people who regularly drink coffee are no more alert on average than those who don’t. For coffee addicts, the morning brew simply reverses the effects of caffeine withdrawal, bringing them back to a baseline level of alertness.
Tea pyramids, cold brew, pu'er, gong fu cha, tea temples, it's amazing we've only come to realise tea has been around for millenia. According to legend, in 2737 BC, the Chinese emperor Shen Nung was sitting beneath a tree while his servant boiled drinking water, when some leaves from the tree blew into the water. And thus began mankind's love affair with tea.
A recent Time magazine article even suggests that drinking tea might change our genes.
The study published in Human Molecular Genetics suggests that the biological effects of the beverage may extend to the genetic level: Drinking tea might change how DNA is expressed; behaviour or environment influence can trigger chemical modifications in the body that affect which genes are turned on and off, the study of which is known as epigenetics. In the new study, , tea drinking for women was associated with epigenetic changes in 28 different gene regions known to interact with cancer or oestrogen metabolism.
That's all rad but which tea gives the best bang for cup rate?
Here's the down-low:
White tea: Uncured and unfermented. One study showed that white tea has the most potent anti-cancer properties compared to more processed teas. The highest grade of white tea being Silver Needles.
Green tea: Made with steamed tea leaves, it has a high concentration of EGCG and has been widely studied. Green tea’s antioxidants may interfere with the growth of bladder, breast, lung, stomach, pancreatic, and colorectal cancers; prevent clogging of the arteries, burn fat, counteract oxidative stress on the brain, reduce risk of neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, reduce risk of stroke, and improve cholesterol levels. Check out Tarakona's Westlake Emerald.
Pu'er tea: Made from fermented and aged leaves. Considered a black tea, its leaves are pressed into cakes. One animal study showed that animals given pu'er had less weight gain and reduced LDL cholesterol. Share a pot of Dragon Pearls.
Oolong tea: In an animal study, those given antioxidants from oolong tea were found to have lower bad cholesterol levels.
Black tea: Made with fermented tea leaves, black tea has the highest caffeine content and forms the basis for flavoured teas like chai, along with some instant teas. Studies have shown that black tea may protect lungs from damage caused by exposure to cigarette smoke. It may also reduce the risk of stroke.
“You want to incorporate healthy beverages in your diet on a more regular basis to benefit from these health-promoting properties," says Diane L. McKay, PhD, a Tufts University scientist who studies antioxidants. "It’s not just about the foods; it’s about what you drink, as well, that can contribute to your health."
2017 has been a strange, if not weird year for world politics, we've been hit by natural disasters and 2018 doesn't look too bright if we listen at all to UN leaders speak. Luckily for us, we had Mariah Carey to brighten the start of our new year with her request for tea while ringing in the new year. http://time.com/5084034/mariah-carey-hot-tea-meme-nye-2018/
So go ahead, shall we do tea? YASSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
