Health Benefits of Drinking Tea
June 10, 2009 by Karen Weideman
Filed under Food and Drinks, family health
Today is Iced Tea Day. Yes, it seems there is a day for everything. Nevertheless, I live in North Carolina and I know how much southerners love their sweet iced syrup tea. 
In the past few years, the tea market has exploded. You can buy bottled tea in many different flavors and some of them have herbs such as ginseng. The question is, Do these bottled teas have the same health benefits as brewed tea? Unfortunately, no. Studies from Oregon State University, the US Department of Agriculture, and Consumer Reports report that bottled tea has lower levels of polyphenols and antioxidants.
Here are some reasons to drink brewed tea:
1) Tea offers antioxidants which can boost your immune system, ward off the flu and other infections, and help protect your body from damage.
2) Tea also helps your overall health. Regular tea drinkers are at less risk for heart attack and stroke.
3) Some studies suggest that tea’s polyphenols may reduce gastric, esophageal, and skin cancers.
4) Other laboratory studies have found that polyphenols help prevent blood clotting and lower cholesterol levels.
Do you brew your own tea or do you buy it in a bottle?
image sxc.hu
