Tea is good for you! You've heard it time and time again.

Over the past few years, a flood of reports have been in the press declaring the nearly miraculous effects that can occur from drinking green tea. This has brought about an increased demand for tea. Let's take a look at the variety and validity of these reports as well as the best ways to achieve these benefits.

In Asia, tea has been revered for centuries as the virtual elixir of life. Only recently has this proclamation faced serious scientific inquiry. The many diverse benefits of green tea that have (so far) been confirmed by science include: aid against cancer; better breath; lower cholesterol; weight loss; and general immune strength. However, there are other (more obscure) studies that seem to have uncovered a flaw in these findings.

The problem with these health benefit studies is not the validity of the results, but rather the omission of other teas. Most studies only cover a specific tea, not all teas. For example, when testing the effects of green tea on weight loss, the results are surprising. However, what is not mentioned in this conclusion is that black tea yields nearly identical results.

Studies confirming the fact that all teas' benefits are similar are now trickling in. In Europe, scientists have concluded that black tea's benefits are consistent with greens. Studies in Taiwan are concluding the same about Oolongs. Why have so many scientists missed this connection? It is due to the fact that research was originally done to confirm or disprove the Ancient Chinese claims that "green tea is good for you," rather than find tea's benefits as a whole.

A little common sense confirms this: all teas that are not herbal in nature come from the same plant (and therefore have the same basic composition), so we expect the benefits to be similar. Slight differences may occur in the varieties (due to the way that these teas are processed), but these are not considerable. So while White tea may provide a few more antioxidants than Black tea, this amount is negligible in relation to the benefits. To build immune strength, both will help pretty much equally.

Rather, the key to receiving health benefits is simple: drink what you like. To obtain full benefits, doctors recommend drinking 3 - 4 cups of tea daily. That's a lot of tea; so, finding one that fits your palate is naturally advantageous. This is why, although tea found in teabags (mostly "fannings" and "dust") does contain equal benefits, it is not recommended simply because you will not get nearly the same quality of flavor.

At this point, you may be asking yourself, "why have I never heard this before?" Many of the less reputable tea companies are simply trying to get more money from the same old product. For example, by simply adding the title "Slimming" to a run-of-the-mill variety green tea, they double the price. While it is true that this green tea may help the body burn calories quicker, what they neglect to mention is that all teas help the body burn calories quicker.

With only a minor word adjustment, we can maintain tea's healthy mantra. While the full extent of tea's benefits has not been realized, all the information that is currently available points to this conclusion: "all tea is good for you."

Here are a few more details on the science behind the health benefits of tea:

Polyphenols 

Polyphenols provide a significant portion of the taste and the health benefits found in tea. Polyphenols are a group of chemical substances found in plants. Two classes of polyphenols are tannins (found also in wine) and flavonoids. Tea is rich in flavonoids like catechins. Flavonoids are most commonly known for their antioxidant activity. Catechins like EGCG are found in high concentrations in Green Tea. In fact, it is the catechin EGCG that has put some bottled green teas in the news lately as providing a wealth of health benefits.

Let's try to put all of these scientific terms into context: Catechins are a type of antioxidant found in flavonoids. Flavonoids are a class of polyphenols. These terms are often used interchangeably when discussing the health benefits of tea.

Antioxidants 

The human body produces unstable molecules called oxidants, or free radicals. To become stable these oxidants steal electrons from other molecules and thereby damage the cells and can even cause DNA aberrations. Antioxidants bond to oxidants such as free radicals and inhibit the chemical reactions that cause cellular damage. Antioxidants can even target and repair DNA damage. All teas made with Camellia Sinensis tea leaves are high in flavonoids, a powerful class of antioxidants.

Tea also contains other antioxidants, though in these cases the processing of the tea does affect the levels. Oxidation causes small antioxidant chains to link together and form larger antioxidants. Most of the antioxidants found in black teas are Theaflavins and Thearubigins, while Green and White teas contain primarily the smaller Catechins.

L-theanine 

L-theanine is an amino acid that occurs naturally in the Camellia Sinensis plant. In fact, unless you take an artificially manufactured dietary supplement, tea is the ONLY way to get L-theanine in your diet. This powerful amino acid boosts alpha wave activity in our brains, which promotes a state of relaxed concentration. Think "quiet alertness". The calming effects of L-theanine actually counteract the extreme highs and jitteriness that can result from excessive Caffeine intake.

As with almost all other essential elements in the leaf, L-theanine is most highly concentrated in the newest growth. A high quality loose leaf tea will contain the most L-theanine, and the very highest levels are usually found in green and white teas.

Will drinking tea cause me to lose weight? 

Possibly. Tea causes a slight increase in metabolic rates and encourages the body to burn lipids (fats). Tea increases insulin activity thereby moderating blood sugar levels. Most importantly, tea replaces other calorie rich drinks or foods in our diets. The truth is that all of these factors are minor, but combined certainly suggest that tea is PART of a healthy diet.

The USDA said it this way: "...until we do a really comprehensive study in which we have humans drink tea and see whether they lose weight, we can't actually say that green tea makes people lose weight. What we can say is that it raises metabolic rates and increases fat oxidation rates. Those are two things that are predictive of weight loss."

Conclusion 

So the question is what can we accurately say?  Tea is nearly calorie-free and rich in antioxidants. Tea is an important part of a healthy diet and lifestyle. While there is not yet enough evidence to make conclusive statements about specific benefits, there are new research reports each week uncovering new potential links between tea consumption and the improvement in, or prevention of, most medical ailments.