By Paige Steele
Tea drinking has played a major role in optimal health to those in the
East for centuries and has more recently been widely touted in Western
media.
The benefits of drinking tea are vast. Ranging from reducing
cholesterol to combating cancer, different teas provide different health
benefits and it's important to understand which teas provide which
benefits.
According to tea enthusiast Brooke Kueser,
senior in education, drinking tea is one of the best things a person
can do for their bodies and notes that different kinds of teas provide
different advantages to one's health. One of the most popular types of
tea, and Kueser's favorite, is green tea.
"[Green tea] aids in weight loss, in that it increases metabolism," Kueser said. "It's also good for you because it contains the antioxidants that a person needs to keep a healthy lifestyle."
Kueser recommends drinking several cups of green tea a day, but admits that one works just fine for her.
"I've started drinking green tea this year," said Reagan Domer,
senior in management information systems. "I've noticed a decrease in
the amount of colds that I've had and would credit the green tea with
that."
According to a Dec. 28, 2011 article on teamuse.com called "The
Benefits of Tea" by Media Digest, green tea also helps fight allergies,
arthritis and its antioxidants can help inhibit an enzyme cancer cells
need to grow.
Black tea is another popular kind of tea among Americans. According to
the same article, black tea has been shown to lower the risks of heart
disease and is thought to be just as beneficial as green tea.
"Black tea is my favorite," Domer
said. "It's a good alternative to coffee as it contains the most
caffeine of any tea and Caribou Coffee in the Union has a really good
one that I like a lot called Hot Cinnamon Spice."
For people who are looking for anti-aging solutions, they need not look
further than oolong tea. According to Sept. 1, 2011 article titled
"Oolong Tea Benefits" from teabenefits.com, oolong tea also helps with
digestive problems, strengthens the immune system and combats tooth and
bone decay.
"Lately I've started to drink oolong tea," Kueser
said. "I think it tastes better than green tea and still has a lot of
good qualities about it. Plus, tooth health is very important to me."
A tea that has become more popular recently is red tea, commonly known as rooibos
tea. This special tea is only found in a bush in South Africa and is
thought to have just as many health benefits and cancer-fighting
qualities as green tea.
"I first started drinking rooibos
tea when I studied abroad in South Africa my sophomore year," said Beth
Caldwell, senior in psychology. "I drink a few cups every day and can
drink it at night too since it's naturally decaffeinated and I've
definitely noticed improvements in my overall health since including it
in my diet."
Although each different kind of tea has slightly different health
benefits, the effect on overall health remains the same as it is
improved with the consumption of tea.
"I just really like the taste of tea and the health benefits are just a perk," Domer said.
Source
Benefits of Green Tea
Wealth for Women Summit
