Coffee vs. Tea
What’s your poison?
Over 150 million people in America drink coffee daily. Interestingly, about the same amount of people are drinking tea. The U.S. is not an exception; adults around the world enjoy hot beverages and caffeine.
With coffee and tea consumption growing steadily every year, it’s no wonder why there’s so much interest in determining the winner. Let’s see what the science has to say and whether you’ve been drinking the less healthy option all along.
The caffeine conundrum
The biggest difference between coffee and tea is probably the caffeine content. An average cup of Joe has about 100 milligrams, black tea — 55, and green tea only has 20 mg. So, if you’re pulling an all-nighter, coffee may be your best bet. But what other effects does caffeine have on your body?
Despite the earlier vilification, caffeine actually has quite a few benefits. By blocking adenosine, the brain-signaling molecule, it causes an increase in dopamine and norepinephrine (1). This means that you may have been craving that espresso for its mood-boosting properties. Additionally, a study linked caffeine to a lower risk of depression (2).
Okay, perhaps caffeine is not so bad when it comes to feeling happy and awake, but aren’t there serious side effects? As with anything in life, you can have too much of a good thing. The glaring pitfall of coffee is drinking it too much and too close to bedtime.
Insomnia from coffee is a real phenomenon, and it’s much less likely to occur from drinking tea. Research has linked high doses of caffeine to shorter duration and worse quality of sleep (3). What’s more, coffee consumption is extremely habit-forming (4). A nice morning ritual is perfectly fine and possibly advantageous. However, cutting off your caffeine intake after 1 pm is not an easy task, plus that may leave you jittery and anxious throughout the day.
The TL;DR of all this is that caffeine is complicated. Coffee has more of it, which is why it also has more potential benefits and side effects. In addition to being mood-enhancing, it can also help with brain function, fat burning, gym performance, and a plethora of other things.
Antioxidants in your mug
The health benefits of coffee and tea are often linked to the presence of different antioxidants. The theory is that exogenous antioxidants may protect your body against free radical damage and the development of chronic diseases. While coffee does have more of these compounds, you may be better suited to go for tea.
First of all, both drinks are full of antioxidants. Tea is rich in various polyphenols, while coffee has plenty of chlorogenic acid and flavonoids. Not only do these polyphenols benefit us as antioxidants, but they also act as hormetic compounds and are even linked to a reduced rate of heart disease (5). Wait, if coffee has more of them, why should I still be drinking my tea?
Just because coffee is loaded with potent antioxidants does not mean that drinking more than 2 cups per day is advisable. Although a 10-year study has shown that drinking 5 cups of coffee lowers the risk of stroke by 23%, who’s drinking 1.2 liters of coffee per day (6)? Another 10-year study has demonstrated that drinking only 4 cups of tea per day lowers the risk of stroke by 21% (7).
In summary, coffee does have more antioxidants than tea, but the latter is much safer to consume in larger doses. Green tea is especially healthy, as it contains the same amount of polyphenols as black tea but is much lower in caffeine.
Antinutrients in your mug
Now this one’s a doozy. What if I told you that the same highly praised antioxidants can often act as antinutrients? Before I scare you too much, these compounds are rarely an issue, and other popular foods contain much more of them than coffee.
Most people are familiar with the impressive health benefits of antioxidants, but not many are aware of some of their traps. Turns out, they can also act as antinutrients by reducing the body’s ability to absorb vitamins and minerals. Common antinutrients include phytic acid, tannins, lectins and are almost exclusively found in seeds.
Seeing as coffee is made using coffee beans (seeds), it wouldn’t be surprising if drinking it would cause some troubles for already undernourished people. In fact, a study has shown that coffee and tea were responsible for 85% of calcium oxalate (a potent antinutrient) in the diets of patients with kidney stones (8). Furthermore, a carcinogenic toxin ochratoxin A is found in most coffees and teas (9).
I should also probably warn folks with iron deficiency. Tannins are present in both of these beverages and can significantly reduce the absorption of iron (10). Well, I hope you haven’t thrown out your favorite tea just yet, because the situation may not be as hopeless as it seems.
Considering that coffee beans and tea leaves undergo all the necessary (and coincidental) processes that degrade these compounds, the antinutrient content in your mug is probably minuscule. Things like fermenting, soaking, roasting, and boiling are all the tools that fight off these scary antinutrients. Thankfully, both drinks already incorporate these methods along the way.
It is worth mentioning that the pros and cons of antioxidants/antinutrients are actively being researched. And I wouldn’t be shocked if the health benefits would end up outweighing the potential side effects.
Takeaway
Neither coffee nor tea should be demonized. Instead, we need to make sure that we don’t consume excessive amounts of caffeine. Moreover, both substances can be habit-forming, and some folks may find them particularly addictive.
Drink your coffee for its stimulating properties and your tea for its polyphenolic compounds. Also, take a break from caffeine once in a while, and don’t be afraid to give decaf a go!
