4 Health Benefits of Tea

by Daniel Wu

Alexander the Great conquered most of the known world but died before he could find a river that would heal the ravages of old age. A man of legend, Prester John, supposedly ruled a land with a river of gold and a fountain of youth. Juan Ponce de Leon, a Spanish explorer, allegedly found the fountain of youth in what is now Florida. These three men would’ve found what they were looking for if they were searching for the Camellia Sinensis tea tree plant instead of a fountain.
 
Tea won’t turn a timeworn elder into a lively teen, but the dried-out leaves of the Camellia Sinensis plant will definitely increase longevity through health benefits. 

1. Antioxidants

​Tea is about 30 percent polyphenols which contain large amounts of catechin called EGCG which are natural antioxidants that help prevent cell damage. It basically works to prevent the body’s own version of rust thus protecting us from things like damage from pollution, and even cancer.

2. Reduced Heart Attack and Stroke Risks

​Studies have shown that those that drink one or more cups of tea a day have lower levels of LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, which is also known as “bad” cholesterol. Subjects show 20 percent reduction in the risk of heart attack and a 35 percent reduced risk of stroke.

3. Essential Vitamins

​You can spell 15 percent of the alphabet with the vitamins in tea. Vitamins A, B, C and D help build proteins and cells, make collagen, (which knits together wounds, supports blood vessel walls, and forms a base for teeth and bones) and produce and release energy from food. 

4. ​Beneficial Minerals

​Manganese, Zinc, and Chromium help in the areas of balanced glucose metabolism, fat oxidation, ATP (adenosine triphosphate) synthesis (an end product of the processes of photophosphorylation which carries energy within cells), protein synthesis, and many more. 

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Sources:

theteaspot.com/tea-health-benefits-properties.html.
www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-green-tea.
biologydictionary.net/atp
www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/archaeology/fountain-of-youth/
academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/72/2/585S/4729660
www.today.com/series/one-small-thing/top-10-health-benefits-drinking-tea-t81111
www.helpguide.org/harvard/vitamins-and-minerals.htm