Did you know, around the world tea is the most commonly consumed drink after water?
Australia ranks at 15 in the world for tea consumption, with Turkey taking out the number one spot, consuming over 4 times the per capita intake of Australians.
And lucky for us, there are actually a number of health benefits to drinking a nice ‘cuppa’!
Tea and metabolism
There has been a lot of interest into whether or not tea, in particular green tea, can assist with weight loss.
In a meta-analysis of research studies, it was found that those who consumed higher intakes of catechins (naturally occurring compounds found in green tea) on average lost 1.3kg more, and were more likely to maintain the weight loss compared to those having none or lower intakes.
Tea and your brain
There are a number of components in tea that can boost brain activity including caffeine, catechins, and the amino acid L-theanine.
The combination of caffeine and L-theanine has been found to increase alertness for up to two hours post consumption, and preliminary evidence suggests that catechins may have a calming effect two hours post cuppa!
Tea and your heart
Both green tea and black tea have been shown to lower blood pressure, with black tea lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol and green tea lowering total cholesterol. Although there’s only been a few studies on tea and heart health to date, results are looking promising.
For a host of other reasons, the research is showing that a good brew does more than just warm you up (or cool you down). So put the kettle on, get out your favourite tea cups, and relax with a cuppa!
To read the full article, visit The Conversation.
