White, Green or Black tea, which one is good for you?
Tea is not only good for your taste buds but also for your health. It is one of the maximum consumed drinks in the world after water. There are 6 different types of teas white tea, yellow tea, green tea, oolong tea, black tea and pu’er or pu-erh tea. Many of you would be amazed to know that all the above teas come from the same plant called camellia sinensis. The young leaves from this plant are picked for the production of the various kinds of teas. Mature leaves are considered to be of lower grade.
The main difference in the type of teas is in the processing of the fresh tea leaves. Tea is rich in antioxidants such as polyphenols and flavonoids, predominantly a group of flavonoids called catechins. Catechins are potent anti-oxidant and contain also anti-inflammatory properties. In addition to this, they are considered to be anti-cancerous, anti-diabetic, heart friendly and anti-biotic in nature. A true tea always contain camellia sinensis. There are certain beverages called herbal teas, jasmine tea etc. which are not true teas but just called so as they are brewed in a similar way as the camellia sinensis tea leaves.
Types of teas
1. White Tea: White tea is the least processed of all the teas. It is not fermented. The leaves used to make this tea are unopened, tight buds. Thus it contains the most antioxidants. Also, it contains the least amount of caffeine among all the 6 types. It is quite expensive and has delicate aroma and mild flavor.
2. Yellow Tea: It is a rare variety of tea and is currently consumed exclusively in the local region where is it grown due to its higher level of difficulty in processing. The taste and preparation is similar to green and black tea. Although, they say that its excessive consumption should be avoided since it has side effects such as elevated blood pressure etc.
3. Green Tea: It is also unfermented and least processed next to white tea.It has the maximum amount of one of the byproducts of catechin which is supposed to be responsible for most of its health benefits.
4. Oolong Tea: Oolong tea contains partially oxidized or fermented leaves. This seats it in between green and black teas. This gives it the color and freshness like green tea and structure of black tea. The caffeine and antioxidant content also falls mid-way between green and black teas, making it a very healthy and delicious option.
5. Black Tea- Black teas are completely oxidized teas. Black teas brews to give a reddish brown to dark brown liquid. They are the most famous type of tea especially, in the Western region.
6. Pu’er or Pu-erh Tea: It is a variety of fermented tea prepared in Yunnan region, China. It is the most oxidized and fermented of all the 6 types and thus is the darkest in colour when brewed.
Health Benefits White and green teas contain very high amounts of polyphenolic compounds called catechins and their derivatives called epi-catechins, epi-gallocatechins, epi-gallo catechin gallates. These compounds show very powerful antioxidant properties i.e. scavenging of the reactive oxygen species which harm the working of body’s organs such as heart, brain, may also lead to certain types of cancers, pre-mature aging, DNA damage etc.
These anti-oxidants are anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, anti-hypercholesterolemic, neuro-protection, anticancer and DNA protective in nature. Thus may helpful in diabetes, prevent or manage overweight and obesity, may help reduce high cholesterol, protection against nerve diseases/disorders and may also be effective against certain cancers. However research is ongoing as far as tea consumption and cancer is concerned.
On the other hand, black tea intake is also associated with low prevalence of diabetes in the world according to a study. It is also related to reduction in high blood pressure and lowered high cholesterol levels as per some research studies and thus promotes heart health.
Another clinical study reports that regular consumption of Pu’er tea extract was linked to substantial weight loss, lowered body mass index, and an improved lipid profile (blood cholesterol levels).
Tea consumption is also believed to counteract the oxidative stress on brain and may decrease the risk of neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
Brewing of tea
Boil water. Place the tea leaves directly into the boiling water. Brew the tea leaves for 2 minutes or maximum 3 minutes.
For best effects drink about 3 cups of tea daily. The good way of consuming it is plain, without sugar and milk especially for weight management, fat loss, and diabetes management.
If milk is added, use low fat milk and less/no sugar.
Instead of sugar and milk, you can add lemon juice/basil leaves/mint leaves/cinnamon stick or powder/ginger for enhancing flavor and taste.
Things to Ponder
After knowing all the health benefits of tea, you must understand that only drinking tea won’t help in achieving your health goal. It should definitely be accompanied with overall healthy lifestyle. Consuming a nutritionally balanced diet and being enough physically active, managing stress etc. is very important. You should remember that, consumption of tea aids in achieving your health goals and is not the only cause of say weight loss or management of diabetes or lowering risk of heart diseases and cancer.
Disclaimer: Drinking of excessive amounts of tea may cause nutritional and other problems because of the strong binding actions of tea polyphenols and the caffeine content. Consult your doctor and nutritionist to know how much tea is suitable for you.
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References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4818050/ https://theteaspot.com/about-tea.html https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4818050/ https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/2/6/e000648 https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0103247
Originally published at https://medium.com on December 7, 2018.
