Science/Technology
Tea is Good For You
Wednesday, February 14th, 2007 at 15:47 by RJ BarkerBoffins doing research at the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition have declared that Tea is good for you. This has left me chuffed to bits as, like many Britons, I drink gallons of the stuff.
Not only is Tea good for you but it may be even better for you than water. Scientific PGTypes say that Flavanoids could well be the secret ingredient. Tea rehydrates just as well as water does and can also protect against heart disease and some cancers, so say nutritionists.
Public health nutritionist Dr Carrie Ruxton, and colleagues at Kings College have found that three or four cups of tea can cut the chance of a heart attack. Dr Ruxton said: “Drinking tea is actually better for you than drinking water. Water is essentially replacing fluid. Tea replaces fluids and contains antioxidants so it’s got two things going for it.”
And it has other benefits, tea contains fluoride which can help strengthen your bones and teeth though the evidence that tea may help prevent cancer is less clear cut.
Most of us will have heard the old wives tale that drinking tea makes you thirstier than not drinking it, but now you can reply with a hearty, “Rubbish!”. Although tea contains caffeine, which can dehydrate, the overall benefit of the liquid in your average cuppa far outweighs any dehydrating effects the caffeine may have.
Brew up!
Keywords: Boffins, Flavanoids, Kings College, Research, Science, Tea, The Essential Elements of Britishness
February 15th, 2007 at 9:16 pm
I did hear that having milk in your tea counteracts all of the benefits, though, so make mine black, no sugars…
February 16th, 2007 at 10:41 am
I noted that this research was sponsored by the Tea Council. Though the Researcher said they were independent. Ah well.