Tea Is Great for Your Heart and Mind, But There Can Be Some Downsides to the Beverage
How do you take your tea? Do you prefer green or black? Cream, sugar, honey? Or maybe just a lemon wedge?
Tea can offer warmth and comfort, along with great flavors. But, according to a new review from the journal Beverage Plant Research, tea can also offer a variety of health benefits. So does that mean you should start upping your tea intake?
The same review cautions that tea drinking could be a double-edged sword, and while there are benefits, there are also some risks to watch out for.
Read More: Brewing Tea Lifts Lead and Other Heavy Metals from Water
Health Benefits of Drinking Tea
According to the review, green tea can provide an array of health benefits, including the prevention of obesity, diabetes, certain cancers, and even cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Some tea may even have anti-inflammatory effects, reduce muscle loss in seniors, and even provide neuroprotective benefits.
All of these health benefits are likely due to tea’s polyphenolic content, mostly catechins. Polyphenols, such as catechins, are compounds found in certain plants and foods, including tea, dark chocolate, fruits, and vegetables, according to Healthline. These compounds can act as antioxidants and anti-inflammatories, helping lower the risk of conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic illness, and cancer.
The researchers found that most of these benefits come from green tea. While oolong, black, and white teas can offer some health benefits, there isn’t enough research to back up these claims just yet.
Negative Side Effects of Drinking Tea
When it comes to preventing disease, tea isn’t a magical cure. Per the review, some tea could actually be doing more harm than good. There are many different types of tea, ranging from loose-leaf to bagged to pre-bottled (ready-to-drink) to bubble tea.
According to the review, the brewing and bottling processes, including storage, for ready-to-drink teas can remove beneficial compounds such as catechins, greatly reducing the tea’s health benefits. Compared to traditionally brewed teas, many ready-to-drink teas and bubble teas also contain added sugars and preservatives.
“An additional concern is the presence of sweetening agents (sucrose, high-fructose corn syrup, or sugar substitutes) and other additives for maintaining color, extending shelf life, and enhancing flavor and taste,” the author wrote in the review.
Other Hidden Dangers in Tea
Besides sugary additives and processing, one negative health consequence of tea can start at the source. Tea growers can use pesticides on their tea leaves to prevent insects and other pests from ruining their crops. Unfortunately, according to the review, it’s possible that pesticide residue can remain on the tea leaves.
The review authors looked at a 2015 study in Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, which “reported that, out of the 223 Chinese tea samples analyzed, 198 samples contained pesticide residues and 39 samples had residue levels that exceeded the European Union (EU) maximum residue limits.”
Besides traces of pesticides found on tea, the review also noted that certain teas contained traces of heavy metals such as lead and aluminum, likely from contaminated water or soil in the growing area. However, the authors note that although these traces of heavy metals have raised concern, they do not pose a significant health risk to casual tea drinkers.
Lastly, one of the other concerns the review points out is the amount of microplastics found throughout the entire tea process, from cultivation to bagging or bottling. Plastic bottles can leach microplastics into tea, and adding a plastic tea bag to boiling water can also cause the tiny plastic particles to leach out into the beverage.
Overall, the review authors state that the health benefits are evident; however, it’s the way the tea is consumed that matters. Sticking to traditional loose-leaf teas without additives, or using non-plastic tea bags, can help keep some of these harmful factors out of your tea.
More research is needed to better understand the health benefits and risks of consuming tea.
This article is not offering medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only.
Read More: Does Bubble Tea Have Any Health Benefits?
Article Sources
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