Now that we are in summertime, here is an article in Time magazine, which refers to the results of a research published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, about the fact that tea not only rehydrates and quenches thirst as water can do, but also has additional health benefits.
Dr. Carrie Ruxton, a nutritionist and author of the study, said that “drinking tea is actually better than drinking water,” because “drinking water is basically replenishing fluids, but the tea replenishes fluids and contains antioxidants, so they are two beneficial things at the same time”.
The study also mentions that the flavonoid antioxidants contained in tea can help reduce the risk of heart attacks and some cancers.
Another important result of this study is to dismantle the myth that tea, by bringing caffeine, is dehydrating. Although caffeine helps remove water from the body, a cup of tea replenishes more water in the body it helps to eliminate.
The British Nutrition Foundation recommends consuming 1.5 to 2 liters daily, which is equivalent to eight glasses and a half of liquid. The study shows that taking one to six cups a day of tea, including black tea, improves the intake of antioxidants.
However, given that there is evidence that tea does not allow the absortion iron which provides food, people with anemia have to avoid drinking tea during meals.
Click here to access the original Time magazine article.
