Tea has many benefits, says researcher

Health-conscious Canadians are quick to consider the benefits of exotic edibles or dietary supplements.

But a Lethbridge researcher suggests they should take another look at one of our nation’s longtime favourites: tea.

Sam Walgama, an instructor at Lethbridge College, says studies have verified many reasons to make tea part of our day.

“In populations where regular tea drinking is a part of the lifestyle, as in Japan and India, individuals are likely to live to an advanced age in good health,” he says.

That’s because of its anti-oxidants and phytochemicals, he pointed out in a recent address to the Lethbridge and District Horticultural Society.

Those anti-oxidants “might help protect against a boatload of cancers,” he adds.

Tea is linked with a reduced risk of Parkinson’s disease, he says, because it helps destroy free radicals that can damage DNA. At the same time, anti-oxidants found in green tea increase the body’s ability to burn fat as fuel, leading to improved muscle endurance.

In one study, he notes, scientists found that participants who regularly drank hot tea had a lower body mass index and waist circumference than those who did not.

Green tea has also been found to improve bone mineral density and strength, he says.

But black tea has its benefits as well, Walgama points out.

“Research carried out so far indicates that polyphenolic compounds in both green and black tea have similar beneficial results.”

Adding a little milk, he says, takes away none of those benefits.

There’s also a benefit for Alzheimer’s patients, a recent study suggests. Caffeine and theanine found in tea may also benefit them, by helping improve cognitive functions.

In another study related to aging, drinking six or more cups per day was found to restore elasticity to the skin, as well as enhancing memory. For most of the other benefits, Walgama says, four cups a day would do.

The level of caffeine in a cup of coffee or tea depends on such factors as its variety, he says, and how it’s prepared. But while a cup of tea could contain from 15 to 60 mg of caffeine, a similar amount of coffee could range from 60 to 150 mg.

Walgama, who teaches agricultural science students at Lethbridge College, continues to track research into tea — an interest that began years earlier in Sri Lanka.

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