What is in Tea ?
Tea is a widely consumed health drink next to water, it is from the plant camellia sinensis consumed as green tea, black tea, and oolong tea. Worldwide, 78% black tea is produced in western countries, green tea is 20% in Asian countries and 2% of oolong tea in southern china. Tea contains abundant compounds especially such as polyphenols, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, theaflavin-3,3′-digallate.
What is Tea Polyphenol?
As everyone talks about the antioxidants in tea, we have ignored knowing more about polyphenol compounds. Hagen Schroeter, PhD Polyphenol meaning they have more than one phenolic group within their structure and Polyphenol is a huge umbrella term under which many families of compounds would cluster Polyphenols are an amazing group of molecules which protect plants against various stressors, and some of the same molecules have also shown health benefits for humans. Polyphenols can be identified by their bright colors, as its plant-based teas, vegetables and fruits are rich in it. Brown rice too contains polyphenols but they have high levels of carbohydrates. Teas, greens, vegetables are rich in polyphenols and contains low carbs and that’s why our mothers says that you can’t leave the table until you eat all your vegetables.
There are more than 500 unique polyphenols, these chemicals are known as phytochemicals. Polyphenols can be categorised as flavonoids, phenolic acid, stilbenes and lignans.
Here, How are antioxidants related to polyphenol?In Chemistry and Biochemistry of Dietary Polyphenols by Rong Tsao says that, Polyphenols are strong antioxidants that complement and add to the functions of antioxidant vitamins and enzymes as a defense against oxidative stress caused by excess reactive oxygen species (ROS).
Benefits of polyphenols
- Ability to combat cell damage
- Lowers risks in heart diseases
- Influence in gut bacteria
- Lowers risk in type-2 diabetes
- Increases hdl ( good cholesterol ) and lowers ldl(bad cholesterol)
- Aids in weight loss journey
How are catechins related to polyphenols and their benefits?
Flavonal can form catechins. Catechins comprises catechins, EC, ECG, EGC, and EGCG. Flavonals are the subfamily of the polyphenol. Catechins are considered as the characteristic compound of green tea. EGCG which accounts in total as 50% of the green tea contains catechins. As this flavonal possesses more benefits to human health that as visibly proven in the studies, it has fueled more research based on this. Some of the benefits are anti-bacterial, anti-hypersensitive, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenesis activities in many organs such as the oral cavity, skin, stomach, lung and more.
How are tea polyphenols beneficial to humans?
Studys says that The antioxidant capacity of tea and tea polyphenols has been assessed by several methods. Using the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) assay, it has been found both green tea and black tea have much higher antioxidant activity against peroxyl radicals than vegetables such as garlic, spinach and Brussels sprouts (Cao et al., 1996).
Most of the epidemiological studies on effects of tea consumption in lowering risk of cancer have been scientifically proven. There is much research conducted on green tea and black tea consumers that proves the number of decreasing effects on cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, anti-arthritic, longevity, and acts as anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti- inflammatory.
The past 15 years laboratories have been passing more information on the positive effects of consuming teas. It is fueling researchers to do many experiments and observations.
The tea with the most polyphenol?
It is white tea, as it undergoes the least process in making, it retains the antioxidants in huge amounts. And following that Green tea contains an abundance of polyphenol in it as it varies in the making process compared to black tea and oolong tea.
Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) says that green tea contains high levels of polyphenol and low in caffeine.
Green tea and Black tea can be the best alternative for your healthy diet. As you don’t have any reason to ignore teas, why don’t you try one now? Change your mind to help your body to be healthy for real.
