Black Tea - What are the Health Benefits?
Tea is only second to water as the most commonly consumed beverage in the world. In case you haven’t noticed, this is good news because based on several recent studies, tea actually offers important health benefits.
All tea come from the same plant, called Camellia sinensis. The tea plant is an evergreen perennial that grows in warm weather. For decades, tea made from Camellia sinensis has been studied for their health-improving properties. The first tea to be studied was green tea, which is known for its cancer-fighting benefits. However, recent research shows that any tea – including oolong and black tea – derived from the leaf of the Camellia sinensis plant have similar cancer-fighting properties.
Black tea health benefits owe much to the presence of polyphenols in the leaves of Camellia sinensis. Scientists used to believe that black tea contains little polyphenols, if not, none at all. That’s because the processing method used in black tea, called fermentation or oxidation, causes the polyphenols to react, transforming them into compounds that do not quite have the same health-giving effect as polyphenols. But later research soon dispelled that notion and so, black tea health benefits now include the disease-fighting polyphenols.
Polyphenols are antioxidants that help protect cells from the normal, but damaging physiological process known as “oxidative stress” brought about by the presence of unbalanced oxygen particles called “free radicals.” These free radicals are know to directly cause aging, heart disease, cancer, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and various other degenerative diseases. By fighting these free radicals and destroying them, the polyphenols present in black tea help the body cope with oxidative stress.
More sources of black tea health benefits and what a cup or two of black tea can do for you!
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