Black tea is the most consumed beverage in the world, right after water. In fact, it’s so popular that 6.3 billion kilograms of tea were consumed in the year 2020 alone, with 80% of it being black tea.
Coming from the Camellia sinensis plant, black tea is consumed either by itself or as a blend with other plants to create varying flavors.
It forms a great balance between green tea and coffee as it has more caffeine than teas but lower than that of coffee.
Apart from its rich taste, black tea also has a loaded nutrient profile containing tons of antioxidants and other health-boosting compounds.
Let’s have a look at some of these benefits and how they can help you.
BENEFITS OF BLACK TEA ON YOUR HEALTH
1. Reduced Risk of Heart Diseases
Black tea contains flavonoids. These are compounds that help regulate cellular activity and fight off free radicals that cause oxidative stress in your body. In simpler words, flavonoids help your body function much more efficiently at protecting against toxins and everyday stressors.
Being a powerful antioxidant, flavonoids in black tea help reduce LDL cholesterol (the bad kind of cholesterol). Often, high levels of LDL are associated with heart diseases and hypertension. According to research, drinking tea regularly can help in keeping your heart healthy and save you from cardiovascular issues.
2. Decreased Risk of Cancer
Another powerhouse of a compound found in black tea is polyphenols. Studies point towards polyphenols and their promise in reducing the risk of some forms of cancer. They may help inhibit the growth of cancer cells in the breast.
Although more research is needed in this area, black tea does exhibit significant potential in the right direction by making your immune system stronger as a whole.
3. Various Antioxidant Properties
Antioxidants are great at fighting free radicals in the body. Our bodies need antioxidants to save against diseases, particularly chronic illnesses. Polyphenols – the antioxidants in tea –do that by scavenging for cell-damaging radicals in our bodies and detoxifying them.
The groups of polyphenols found in black tea are theaflavins and catechins. Studies show that theaflavins in black tea effectively reduce blood sugar levels and promote overall health.
Polyphenols have also been suggested to reduce the risk of diabetes and elevated levels of cholesterol.
4. Improved Gut Health
Gut health has gained popularity in recent years and this is for a good reason. The effect it can have on our health is immense, at times.
There are trillions of bacteria in our gut as well as about 70%-80% of our immune system. While some of this bacteria is beneficial for your health, some is not. The harmful bacteria in our gut acts as a major source of inflammation, giving rise to chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, eczema, and much more.
Thanks to the polyphenols in black tea, our gut health can be promoted by the growth of good bacteria. Polyphenols are also known to suppress the growth of bad bacteria.
This, in turn, helps improve our overall immune function along with inhibiting inflammation and repairing the lining of our digestive tract, making tea the ultimate beverage choice!
