3 Most Popular Types of Tea and Their Benefits for Health

Medical Video: How to choose the right tea for you

As one type of beverage widely known in eastern countries, the benefits of tea then began to attract the attention of western countries because of the effects it has on health. Starting from lowering cholesterol levels, preventing heart disease, diabetes, stroke and other degenerative diseases, to be said to be able to help lose weight are some of the benefits of tea that has been widely known. There are several types of tea that you may have tried before, including green tea, oolong tea and black tea. How are the benefits of tea for health?

Benefits of green tea

This type of tea can be the most well-known type of tea for health. Green tea is made from unfermented tea leaves and among other types of tea contains antioxidants called the highest polyphenols. Antioxidants are important substances that function against the bad effects of free radicals on the body. Free radicals that you can get from the surrounding environment to food can cause cell damage to the gene level or DNA can even lead to cell death. Antioxidants can neutralize the work of free radicals, which help prevent damage caused by free radicals.

In traditional Chinese and Indian medicine, green tea is used as a stimulant, diuretic, to astringents to help control bleeding and accelerate wound healing. Some of the other benefits of green tea are treating stomach gasps, regulating body temperature, controlling blood sugar levels, helping to facilitate digestion, and increasing cognitive abilities.

While according to various research results, green tea can help prevent the following diseases:

High cholesterol and atherosclerosis: Green tea can reduce total cholesterol levels and increase good cholesterol or HDL levels. A study tested on animals proved that levels of polyphenols found in green tea can inhibit cholesterol absorption by the small intestine and simultaneously help the body get rid of excess cholesterol. Because it can reduce cholesterol too, green tea can help prevent atherosclerosis, or blockage of blood vessels caused by high levels of bad fats in the body. Atherosclerosis can lead to heart disease and stroke later on.
Cancer: In addition to bad fats, green tea has also been studied to prevent cancer. For comparison, countries that consume more green tea like Japan, for example, have a smaller percentage of people who suffer from cancer compared to other countries that do not routinely consume green tea. Researchers concluded that polyphenols can help inhibit cancer cell growth. Bladder cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and skin cancer can be prevented by regular consumption of green tea.

Benefits of oolong tea

Both come from plants C. sinensis which produces black tea and green tea, oolong tea is different from other types of tea when viewed from the processing method and the level of oxidation produced. If green tea has a lighter flavor and black tea has a stronger taste, oolong tea is in the middle. Caffeine levels found in oolong tea are almost the same as those found in green tea. Just like other types of tea, the antioxidant content of oolong tea is also famous for preventing various diseases. In oolong tea there are antioxidants of flavonols and flavanols.

Some of the benefits of oolong tea include:

Reducing blood sugar levels: based on research published from the journal Diabetes Care in 2003, those who suffered from type 2 diabetes mellitus and routinely taking drugs accompanied by regular consumption of oolong tea had the ability to control blood sugar better than those who only took drugs.
Helps lose weight: a study conducted on those who were overweight and obese stated that participants who consumed oolong tea for six consecutive weeks would then experience weight loss accompanied by a reduction in waist size. In addition, based on research conducted by U.S. Department of Agriculture found that those who consumed tea could burn about 67 calories more per day compared to those who only drank the same amount of water.
Prevent ovarian cancer: women who regularly consume tea have a lower risk of developing ovarian cancer later in life. One study found that consumption of two cups or more tea per day can reduce the risk of ovarian cancer in later days by almost half.

Benefits of black tea

It is the type of tea that has the most oxidation, known as 'fermentation' in the tea industry. Among other types of tea, black tea has the highest levels of caffeine. The way to make it is by destroying the tea leaves and then grinding so as to maximize the oxidation process, a process that involves the interaction of oxygen with the surface of the tea leaves so that it then produces active components that are beneficial to the body. This oxidation process will produce a darker tea color.

Because of the highest caffeine levels compared to other types of tea, black tea can be a substitute for coffee to stimulate the work of your body and brain. Not only that, black tea also has fluoride levels which can help protect you from dental caries. Its antioxidant content is effective in reducing the risk of heart attack, atherosclerosis, kidney stones, ovarian cancer, and Parkinson's disease. Besides black tea can also help prevent the occurrence of orthostatic hypertension, or a situation when you feel dizzy and dizzy when making position changes from sitting to standing quickly.

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