Thursday, February 23, 2012

Teas provide benefits for drinkers

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