The eight health benefits of your daily cup of tea

It's true that us Britons are – and always have been – a nation of tea drinkers. In fact, a third of us imbibe between four to five cups a day.
Tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant and is often blended with other plants for different flavours, such as Earl Grey or chai.
Whatever blend you choose, these are some of the surprising health benefits found in your humble cup of tea:
Health benefits of tea
1. Antioxidant properties
'Tea is rich in polyphenols – natural bioactive plant compounds – that have antioxidant effects in the body,' says Dr Carrie Ruxton, a dietician from the Tea Advisory Panel. 'Getting enough antioxidants in the diet from fruit, vegetables, wholegrains and drinks is important for fighting the effects of ageing and modern lifestyles which cause damage to cells (via oxidation of cell membranes).'
Green or black tea – containing antioxidants and compounds that may help reduce inflammation in the body – is commonly seen as superior for our health, but don't worry if you can't bear it without a drop of the white stuff.
'It is a health myth that adding milk to tea reduces the health effects of a cup of tea,' says Dr Ruxton. 'Research studies have found inconsistent results for aspects like antioxidant effects or polyphenol levels in the blood. This is because polyphenols in tea are not absorbed in the small intestine but are acted on by gut bacteria in the colon. As a result, there is no evidence that adding milk has a negative impact on the health benefits of tea. In fact, for women, adding milk to your tea provides other health benefits as it will add to calcium intakes which protect bone density'.
2. Supports heart health
'Tea is good for the heart on a couple of levels,' says Ruxton. 'The polyphenols, specifically flavan-3-ols – part of the flavonoid family – have positive effects on vascular function, which helps blood flow more easily through blood vessels, making them more elastic and reducing blood pressure. A lower blood pressure helps to reduce our risk of stroke and heart attack (myocardial infarction).'
Gunter Kuhnle is a professor of nutrition and food science at the University of Reading. He says that the flavanols, found in tea, have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease so much that there is even a recommendation by the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to consume 400-600 mg per day.
'We tried to convert this into normal foods – and that's roughly three cups of green or eight cups of black tea a day,' says Prof Kuhnle.
Drinking three cups of black tea a day for six months significantly lowered blood pressure by 2-3 mmHg, it was found in a clinical trial. This is the equivalent effect on blood pressure of losing 2-3 kilos of weight.
Ruxton says the polyphenols may also aid heart health by helping to lower 'bad' LDL cholesterol, and when Harvard University carried out a large survey on tea drinkers, it found that people who have at least 3-4 cups a day are less likely to have a heart attack.
3. May improve gut health
We've all become increasingly aware of the importance of gut health – but not all of us fancy drinking kefir or kombucha. Happily, a tea bag is much cheaper and will also bring some benefits to our bellies.
Several natural foods are prebiotic, meaning they promote healthier species of bacteria in the gut, says Ruxton, and tea – both green and black – is one of these special foods.
'Having a healthy gut microbiota has been linked with a lower risk of constipation, inflammatory bowel disease and respiratory infections, as well as a more balanced immune system.'
She explains this is because the polyphenols in tea are mostly not digested in the upper intestine, they instead pass through to the colon (large intestine) where they are broken down by the gut bacteria for food.
'The 'friendly' bacteria in the gut tend to be the ones that prefer to use polyphenols, and so regular tea drinking promotes these species.'
4. Lowers blood sugar
Daily consumption of tea has been linked with a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes. A study in Nutrition Research reported that people drinking more than four cups daily had a 17 per cent reduced risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The effects of tea may be due to the polyphenols which promote the uptake of glucose by cells and have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects.'
5. May reduce the risk of cancer
There are more than 100 different types of cancer, and of course some are not preventable. But even so, the polyphenols found in black tea may help slow the development of certain types of cancer and promote cancer cell death.
'Large observational studies suggest that people who regularly consume green or black tea have a lower risk of cancer, particularly bowel cancer,' says Ruxton. There are no clinical trials in humans to prove a causal effect, she admits, so we can't tell whether tea drinkers have healthier lifestyles (for instance they drink less alcohol and more fruit and vegetables) or 'whether tea is having anti-cancer effects which have been suggested in animal and cell studies'.
But tea drinking has also been linked in studies with a lower risk of oral cancer, and cancers of the breast, ovaries, lungs, and thyroid.
Interestingly, a study found that those drinking the highest amounts of green tea specifically had a 22 per cent reduced risk of endometrial cancer.
6. Helps us concentrate
When we need to focus and feel more alert, coffee is normally our go-to beverage. But don't overlook the boost tea offers – and it is less likely to give you the jitters.
'Tea contains around 40-50mg of caffeine, which is half the amount found in coffee,' says Ruxton.
'Caffeine is well known for promoting memory, alertness and concentration. However, tea is uniquely high in an amino acid called 'L-theanine' which works in combination with caffeine to produce a feeling of 'calm concentration'.
'This has been proven by studies which have found that L-theanine lowers stress and improves mental focus under challenging working conditions'.
7. Can improve sleep
Herbal tea infusions containing camomile have long been linked to a good night's sleep, but interestingly, studies by the Tea Advisory Panel (TAP) found that two cups of even regular tea can aid sleep quality – perhaps because the ritual of drinking it relieves stress.
The active compounds in tea that could help send us to the Land of Nod include polyphenols, L-theanine, theaflavins, thearubigins and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Both L-theanine, an amino acid, and GABA have direct effects on the brain, helping to activate pathways that lower stress and create calm and relaxation.
8. Promotes mental wellbeing
'Flavanols have been shown to improve cognitive function, and there is some data from a larger study that support this,' says Prof Kuhnle. But in terms of improving mental health, he suspects that the social aspect of making tea and sitting together to drink is probably the biggest thing at play here – which is certainly important for our emotional wellbeing and mood. It's been proven many times, after all, that happier people live longer.
Black tea vs green tea
Black and green tea are processed in slightly different ways – with the former being rolled and then oxidised (exposed to air), and the latter not being oxidised. This means black tea leaves tend to turn dark brown whilst green tea leaves remain green. They are subtly different in their caffeine and antioxidant content, however one isn't significantly healthier than the other.
Green tea contains slightly less caffeine than black tea (about 29mg per cup compared to 47mg) and slightly more L-theanine which means it may be better for relaxation. It also contains more antioxidants, including the potent epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which is responsible for many of its health benefits. A 2022 study in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences found its presence in green tea drives its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties.
Meanwhile, black tea contains a group of polyphenols called theaflavins which offer many health benefits related to their antioxidant ability. They can protect fat cells from damage, whilst one 2022 review found they can also lower blood sugar and are beneficial for gut bacteria. Black tea's higher caffeine content means it may be more beneficial for those needing an energy boost.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Daily Mail​

15 minutes ago

• Daily Mail​

Students will spend 25 YEARS on their phones if screen habits don't change, study finds

Students will spend 25 years glued to their phones if they don't change their screen habits, a study has found. The average school, college or university student spends five and a half hours on their phone per day, which could amount to 25 years of their lives. And the four per cent who spend nine hours or more on their phone could see themselves wasting 41 years of their lives locked into a screen. The research, which was conducted by Fluid Focus over the first five months of the year, highlights rates of smartphone usage, the negative impact it has on learning and attention span, and student's desire to reduce it. Their figures are based on a waking day of 16 hours and 72 years of smartphone use from the age of 11 to 83. To get their figures, they tracked the screen times of 1,346 secondary school pupils, 198 university students and 1,296 people at further education colleges. App genres which dominated the screens were social media, messaging and streaming. Screen time averages increased with age - from five hours and 12 minutes for secondary school students to six hours and 12 minutes for university students. For many students, their phone was the first thing they check when they wake up and the last thing they look at before bed. Worryingly, 68 per cent of students believe their academic performance is impacted by their phone use. Despite this self-awareness, around 40 per cent admitted to constantly checking their phone while studying. Checking your phone seems like a harmless habit, but another study found it can take 20 minutes to regain focus afterwards. Dr Paul Redmond, who studies generational change, called the findings 'quite stark'. He was director of student experience and enhancement at Liverpool University, one of 18 institutions involved in the research. He added: 'I think what's powerful is how students feel that it's damaging their academic performance. That awareness that "I could do so much better if I manage this".' Nearly half of students (47 per cent) said their sleep is disturbed because of late-night phone usage, a figure that rose to 66 per cent for those at university. Dr Redmond said it was helpful to talk with young people about strategies to manage screen time. He explained how one new technique they tried out was to put elastic bands around their phones so when they took them out to go on them 'they were made to stop and think about why'. Lisa Humphries is associate principal at Chichester College Group where some of the 11,000 students across its seven constituent colleges participated. She said: 'By the time we see them in college, they've had five, six, seven years of living inside their phone. The levels of social anxiety are crippling in the young people we're seeing, and it comes from that whole thing. 'Everyone's living in their bedroom on their phone, and they're not outside, and they're not socialising, communicating. They're not developing those skills to build relationships.' The report's authors urge schools, colleges and universities to make digital wellbeing part of their curriculum and strategic plans. They even encouraged them to reward students who display healthy digital behaviours. Another suggestion was to cut university lectures from 60 or 90 minutes to blocks of 30 minutes in order to cater to the new generations short attention spans. They added the single biggest change a student can make is leaving their phone outside the bedroom up to 45 minutes before they want to go to sleep. The authors also called for ministers to treat technology overuse as a public health problem and want their to be a public health campaign targeted at Gen Z. Glenn Stephenson, co-founder of Fluid Focus, said: 'This research is a mirror. It forces us, as a society, to confront an uncomfortable truth: we unknowingly handed powerful, addictive technologies to children during their most formative years — without fully understanding the risks in doing so. 'However, what was great to see, and what should give us all hope, is that students aren't oblivious to the impact — far from it. They're aware, reflective, and increasingly motivated to change. 'Many are already trying. They just need to be met with the right education, the right tools and the belief that change is possible.' Another study found three quarters of Gen Zs admitted struggling to maintain concentration while interacting with someone and 39 per cent feel a strong urge to look at their device. Social events (28 per cent), speaking with friends (18 per cent) and parents (17 per cent) are some of the scenarios where the younger generation stop paying attention. And 28 per cent said they are even switching off at work, affecting their productivity. The study of 2,000 18 to 28-year-olds found that Gen Z will reach for their phone after just two minutes and 15 seconds of talking to someone. The biggest temptations when chatting face-to-face with someone include checking messages (48 per cent), scrolling social media (44 per cent) and even opening YouTube (18 per cent). Calls (32 per cent), WhatsApp messages (23 per cent) and social media mentions (14 per cent) are deemed hardest to ignore. The research, commissioned by AXA UK as part of the annual Mind Health Report, found 63 per cent admit they struggle with real-life interaction – and 77 per cent use their phone as a form of escape.

BreakingNews.ie

24 minutes ago

• BreakingNews.ie

What you need to know about sarcoma – the cancer you've never heard of

When most people think of cancer, names like breast, lung, or prostate cancer instantly come to mind. However, there's another, lesser-known form called sarcoma that affects thousands of people in the UK every year, yet rarely makes headlines. Despite its relative obscurity, it's one of the most aggressive and challenging cancers to diagnose and treat. Advertisement Ahead of Sarcoma Awareness Month (July), we got in touch with Helen Stradling, head of support and healthcare professional engagement services at Sarcoma UK, to find out exactly what sarcoma is, why awareness is so low, and what some of the early symptoms are… What is sarcoma? Sarcoma refers to a broad group of cancers that start in the bones and soft tissues. Photo: Alamy/PA. Sarcoma is a type of cancer that can appear anywhere in the body and everyday 15 people in the UK are diagnosed with it, according to Sarcoma UK's website. 'In terms of breast cancer, lung cancer and bowel cancer, it's very obvious where they come from, whereas the word sarcomas doesn't really tell you anything,' acknowledges Stradling. 'Sarcomas are cancers of the bits and pieces that put us together, like nerves, bones, blood vessels and fat cells.' There are many different subtypes of sarcomas, but they are generally grouped into two main categories. Advertisement 'The main types are sarcomas of bone and sarcomas of soft tissue,' explains Stradling. 'The most common soft tissue sarcomas are the GISTs (gastrointestinal stromal tumours), liposarcomas and leiomyosarcomas, and in the bone sarcomas, the ones we tend to hear the most about are the osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcomas.' Why have many people never heard of sarcomas? 'I think it all comes down to the rarity of it,' says Stradling. 'We diagnose about 5,300 sarcomas in the UK every year, so it's very unlikely when somebody gets a sarcoma diagnosis that they've known somebody else that's had one. 'It's also not the type of cancer that you see spoken about very often in the media. A lot of people that get a sarcoma diagnosis have never heard of sarcomas before.' What are the symptoms? View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sarcoma UK (@sarcoma_uk) 'The main sign of a soft tissue sarcoma is a lump that you can see that is changing or growing,' highlights Stradling. 'Benign lumps are really common, but anyone who has a soft tissue lump anywhere on the body that is growing and changing needs to get that checked out.' Whereas, the main symptom of bone sarcomas is bone pain or swelling that tends to be worse at night. Advertisement 'There's a lot of reasons for joint and bone pain, but if you've got bone pain that you can't put down to any kind of injury, that is not relieving itself with painkillers or anything like that, and the pain wakes you at night, that's a red flag sign,' emphasises Stradling. However, GISTs sarcomas tend to be harder to identify. 'GISTs are a little bit more tricky, because you can hardly ever see anything from them,' says Stradling. 'It's more likely to show up with more subtle signs like bloating or blood in your vomit or stools. 'If you have got any these symptoms and you are being pushed back from healthcare professionals that you're seeing, we would urge you to keep going. If you are really concerned that it could be a sarcoma, mention the word to the professional so that it is something they can consider or start investigating.' Advertisement How is it diagnosed? Diagnosis of sarcomas usually start with an ultrasound or an X-ray. Photo: Alamy/PA. 'It usually starts with somebody either seeing their GP, a physio or a nurse and a lot of time it will be a soft tissue lump that's growing or bone pain,' says Stradling. 'With soft tissue sarcomas we tend to start with an ultrasound and with bone sarcomas we start with X-ray. 'If there's any concern that it might be something more sinister, the patient then has an MRI scan. But most importantly, once that MRI scan is done, we must get a biopsy, because with there being so many different subtypes, we need to know exactly which one we're dealing with to know which is the best treatment for you to have.' Like most forms of cancer, sarcomas can be found at different grades and are much easier to treat if you catch them early before they spread. 'The sooner we can get these diagnosed the better,' says Stradling. 'We know that getting patients into seeing the specialist teams and getting them started on treatment as soon as we can makes a huge positive difference for outcomes.' The primary focus of Sarcoma Awareness Month is to encourage earlier diagnosis and to improve treatment options for those affected by this disease. Photo: Alamy/PA. How is it treated? The primary treatment for sarcomas, both soft tissue and bone sarcomas, is surgery. The goal is to remove the tumour, along with a margin of healthy tissue to minimise the risk of recurrence, according to Sarcoma UK's website. Advertisement 'We really need to get the them at a size where we can do a surgery that isn't going to leave somebody with life-limiting mobility or not being able to do everything that they want to do,' says Stradling. 'We want to avoid the stage where the tumours have already spread, because then the treatments that we've got are limited.' Sarcomas can also be treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, often alongside surgery. 'We do use chemotherapy and radiotherapy for a number of sarcomas, but in a lot of the cases, we don't use them until they've already spread because we know that they're not as effective as we would like them to be,' explains Stradling. 'However, this is slightly different with the younger people that get the bone sarcomas, as they do tend to start with chemotherapy as a kickoff treatment. But in most cases, surgery is the first thing that needs to happen.'

Times

an hour ago

• Times

NHS struggles to turn cash into care

The NHS is one of the worst health systems in the western world at converting money into better care, a report by the TaxPayers' Alliance suggests. Researchers examined data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to compare 13 health systems, including in the UK, Canada, Australia, France and Germany, and found the UK had the lowest life expectancy and highest rates of avoidable deaths. It showed that the NHS struggled to convert funding into more resources such as doctors, nurses, hospital beds or scanners, with two thirds of its budget swallowed up by staffing costs, including pensions. The TaxPayers' Alliance report said: 'Without a serious improvement in productivity, the extra cash released by Rachel Reeves is unlikely to be noticed by patients.' The NHS was handed an extra £29 billion in Labour's spending review this month and is on track to take up 50 per cent of all public spending by the end of the decade. However, experts have warned that the money will be wasted unless the NHS can improve efficiency and productivity. The TaxPayers' Alliance report said the UK ranked third highest out of the 13 countries in terms of how much is spent on health as a percentage of GDP. However, it only ranked 12th by the metric of converting money into resources that can help treat patients. • The Times View: Wes Streeting must transform Britain's crippled health services The NHS also ranked 11th when it came to capital spending on new technology and hospitals. The researchers said priority 'must be given to capital investment over further expansions on staff' in order to boost productivity. The figures showed that the NHS spends 64 per cent of its budget on staffing, far more than comparable countries such as New Zealand or Ireland, which spend 42 per cent and 33 per cent respectively. This was largely due to generous public-sector pensions for doctors and other NHS staff. There have been calls for reforms to rebalance NHS remuneration away from pensions towards take-home pay. Last year a report by Lord Darzi highlighted a collapse in NHS productivity in the past decade. It found that the hospital workforce had risen by 17 per cent between 2019 and 2023, yet output had not risen at nearly the same rate, which was largely due to a failure to invest in upgrading equipment and buildings. • Darzi report: money alone can't cure what ails NHS Darwin Friend, head of research of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'Our comprehensive analysis of healthcare productivity is by no means all doom and gloom, with the NHS clearly performing well in some areas, particularly when looking at its use of existing resources. 'But it does paint a bleak picture for taxpayers, given the overwhelming evidence to suggest that the vast extra funding announced at the spending review will simply be throwing good money after bad without more fundamental and far-reaching reform. 'If the government wants to deliver on its promises, it will need to be far braver than politicians have been and consider changes previously considered unpalatable, including regional pay bargaining, the prioritisation of capital spending and a role for more insurance-based financing. 'It will also have to face down demands for increased pay, given the disproportionate amount of the NHS budget that is swallowed up by staffing.' Kristian Niemietz, head of political economy at the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: 'In state-run health systems like the British NHS, there is often a temptation to prioritise day-to-day spending over long-term investment. Politicians know that by the time the detrimental effects become apparent, somebody else will be in charge and it will be somebody else's problem. 'The paper also shows that while the NHS cannot be described as 'underfunded', it is in a very real sense under-resourced. These are not the same thing — a pile of cash does not magically transform itself into a doctor, a nurse or an MRI scanner. The NHS is remarkably bad at converting its financial resources into medical inputs.' The report analysed data from 13 countries: Portugal, South Korea, Norway, Germany, Spain, Australia, Ireland, Italy, Denmark, New Zealand, France, the UK and Canada.