Black Tea: What Happens if You Drink Every Day?
What Is Black Tea?
Black tea is made from the leaves of a bush called Camellia Sinensis. It comes in many flavours and is used most often as a cold drink. Since it contains caffeine and antioxidants, it is also drunk hot.
Black tea belongs to the same plant family as green tea. It is used for improving mental alertness as well as learning, memory, and information processing skills. Much evidence also shows that black tea may help lower cholesterol, but too much black tea may have negative side effects. Black tea may make up the majority of tea consumed in the world. The two main varieties of black tea, China, and India, contain similar catechins that increase mental alertness and improve learning and memory. Although limited studies suggest benefits, more research is needed to confirm these uses.
Black tea has little use in modern medicine, though it was once thought to have several uses. It is generally considered safe when taken by mouth or applied to the skin. Black tea contains caffeine, polyphenols, and tannins. These components could have pharmacologic effects that might be beneficial to some individuals.
Black tea is a fully oxidized tea. This means the leaves are dried and exposed to moisture and oxygen. Green tea comes from the same plant but is not oxidized, so it’s not as strong as black tea. Green tea is not fully oxidized, but black tea is. The name “black tea” doesn’t mean it is stronger than green tea or that it has anything to do with colour. The process of making a black or tan-coloured tea also has nothing to do with the amount of caffeine in the leaves.
People consume black tea for its antioxidant, or anti-ageing, properties. While the potential health benefits of drinking black tea may have negative side effects in some people. Be sure to consult your doctor before you begin drinking any herbal supplement.
How does it work?
Black tea is a plant-derived beverage that contains caffeine and antioxidants. It is commonly consumed as a drink but can also be used topically to relieve the symptoms of eczema. Regular black tea contains 2% to 4% caffeine and has antioxidant compounds that may help protect against diseases of the heart and blood vessels. It also helps increase urine output and might reduce the symptoms of Parkinson disease.
The way your tea is processed does matter. It’s well known that green and white teas are high in antioxidants called polyphenols. But black tea contains polyphenols, too, along with other compounds that may also provide health benefits. However, it’s not certain if the polyphenols and other ingredients in black tea work in the same way as those found in green and white tea. Or if any of these compounds will be effective for people when taken as supplements.
Know the Benefits from Black Tea
Black tea drinking has some potential health benefits. It may help keep your gut healthy, boost your heart health, and even improve metabolism, alertness and energy, possible anti-cancer effects, antioxidants, including polyphenols and catechins, gut health.
Drink black tea for a boost. You can get much of the same benefit from other teas, but nothing beats black tea when it comes to overall health potential. Drinking lots of black tea boosts your chances of enjoying good health in the future. It is filled with antioxidants which can help protect you from some of today’s most common diseases.
More research is needed, but these are some reasons why black tea may be healthy:
- Cavities
- High cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Kidney stones
- Parkinson’s disease
- Osteoporosis
May Boost your Heart Health
Black tea contains flavonoids, which have been found to have a positive effect on cardiovascular health. A cup of black tea can reduce heart disease risk factors. Flavonoids, the antioxidants found in tea, have been linked to lower triglyceride levels and better blood sugar control. Flavonoids could help decrease your risk of developing heart disease. In human studies, both green and black teas showed a significant decrease in cholesterol levels, possibly due to the antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate, which may also help fight cancer. While more research is necessary, incorporating black tea into your daily diet could contribute to heart health.
May Lower “Bad” LDL Cholesterol
Drinking black tea may help to lower bad LDL cholesterol and increase good HDL cholesterol. This means that if you’re looking for heart-healthy benefits, drinking black tea just might be your solution. Plus, black tea has been shown to prevent the body from absorbing too much dietary cholesterol, which could also lower your risk for heart disease.
Black tea contains a plant compound called theaflavin. Research has demonstrated that this natural substance may help lower “bad” LDL cholesterol. This can not only help protect against heart disease, but it may also reduce your risk for heart failure and stroke.
May Help Reduce the Risk of Stroke
Black tea is made from the dried leaves of the Camellia Sinensis plant. Studies have found that drinking black tea may help reduce the risk of stroke. The potential health benefit of black tea has been attributed to its high content of flavonoids, which are antioxidants that may act as a buffer against heart disease and cancer.
For centuries, tea has been used to help maintain a healthy heart. Now research suggests that drinking three to four cups of black or green tea per day may help lower your risk of having a stroke. People who drink four or more cups of black tea per day experienced a 32% decrease in their risk of stroke.
Pack a powerful punch into your morning routine with the antioxidant-rich, crisp flavour of black tea. Black tea may help lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease or obesity. Drink it hot or add some cool lemonade and fresh mint for a delicious, iced tea.
May Lower Blood Sugar Levels
Black tea, a brownish-red beverage with a stronger flavour than green tea, contains numerous nutrients. That includes Vitamins B6, C and E, Calcium and Folate, Magnesium and Zinc. Black tea may lower blood sugar levels compared to drinking other types of teas such as green teas.
Benefit from a warm and aromatic beverage that has been known to potentially lower blood sugar levels. Black tea is a great guilt-free alternative to non-diet soft drinks. Use black tea for your everyday needs, including treating colds, headaches and stomach-aches.
Black tea contains a natural chemical compound that may help to lower blood sugar levels by affecting other compounds in the body, according to one study. The compound is called epigallocatechin gallate and has been shown to affect numerous compounds in the body, particularly those involved in blood sugar regulation.
Black Tea Risks
Black tea contains the chemical caffeine, found in coffee, colas and some non-cola soft drinks. Caffeine can affect your body in different ways. Drinking large amounts of black tea (more than four or five cups a day) could cause side effects such as headache, nervousness and shakiness, and poor sleep. Although some people enjoy the taste of black tea, you should stop drinking any type of caffeinated drink if there are unpleasant side effects.
Black tea contains the chemical caffeine, just like coffee and other caffeinated drinks. There’s no recommended limit for how much caffeine you can safely consume.
Side effects of black tea (most often in high amounts) may include:
- Tremors
- Anaemia
- Headache
- Faster breathing
- Ringing in the ears
- Irregular heartbeat
- Increased urination
- High blood pressure
- Nausea and vomiting
- Nervousness and restlessness
- Anxiety and difficulty sleeping
Taking black tea with other caffeine or ephedra can be very dangerous. The National Institutes of Health warns that risks are increased when taking this supplement with any of the following:
- Seizures
- Jitteriness
- Passing out
- Heart rate changes
- Increased blood pressure
Certain side effects may occur when you take black tea supplements or if you drink black tea. Some of these side effects may be caused by other things, even if you are taking black tea. You should talk to your doctor before you take black tea supplements or drink large amounts of black tea, because they may affect how other medicines work.
Risks black tea also contains caffeine, which interferes with certain heart medications and blood tests. Talk to your doctor about any supplements you are taking. Herbal supplements may cause serious side effects when taken with black tea. From protecting your heart to helping you burn fat to boosting your memory and immune system, black tea contains many active ingredients you may want to include in a daily regimen. The FDA has many concerns with black tea. Black tea is considered safe when taken at recommended dosages, which are greater than what a typical person would use and may be unsafe.