Is Tea Good for You? Effects of Tea on Body and Mind

Health Benefits of Tea

1. Low to Moderate Caffeine - Tea contains low to moderate amounts of caffeine, much less than coffee. The smaller amounts of caffeine make tea a good alternative to coffee for people seeking to minimize the adverse effects associated with heavy caffeine use. RateTea has a page about how much caffeine is in different kinds of tea.
2. Preventing Heart Disease - There is some preliminary evidence that regular tea drinking may slightly lower the risk of heart disease.
3. Relaxation and Stress Reduction - There is some evidence that black tea may reduce stress and promote relaxation. Tea also contains L-theanine, a chemical known to promote relaxation. Certain green teas are especially high in L-theanine. Tea is widely perceived as more relaxing than coffee and most other caffeinated beverages.
4. Antioxidants - Tea, like most natural plant-based foods and beverages, is rich in antioxidants. There is some evidence suggesting that these antioxidants may have a protective effect in the body, such as protecting against various cancers, although there is no strong evidence that tea can actually treat or prevent cancer. The antioxidants in tea are not uniformly good for you: they have both positive and negative effects.
5. Calorie-free - Tea, especially green tea and oolong tea, is widely perceived as being a good way to help a person lose weight. While the weight loss properties of tea are often exaggerated, and the key ways to lose weight will always be to get regular exercise and eat a well-balanced diet, tea is naturally calorie-free and certainly will not harm one's weight-loss attempts. The weight loss benefits of tea are often overstated.

Harmful Effects of Tea

Side-Effects, Health Risks, Other Undesirable Effects

1. Tea inhibits iron absorption. - The antioxidants in tea, the same chemicals often being touted for their health benefits, can actually bind to iron, thus making your body absorb less iron. People at risk of iron deficiency should thus consume tea after a meal, rather than before or during the meal.
2. Health risks of caffeine - Although many people consume tea specifically because of its caffeine, too much of a good thing can harm you, and caffeine is no exception. Different people have different sensitivities to caffeine, but too much caffeine can contribute to anxiety, insomnia, and other health problems, and people sensitive to caffeine should avoid drinking large quantities of tea for this reason.
3. Acidity - Most tea is considerably less acidic than coffee, but tea in general is still acidic, and some teas are more acidic than others.
4. Contaminants - Although tea itself is relatively safe, there have been a few cases of tea being contaminated by pesticides or other harmful chemicals. This risk can be minimized by buying from a reputable tea company that knows the source of their tea. Although it may be a good idea to buy organic tea, this doesn't guarantee that the tea is safe or free from contaminants. What's more important is to know and trust the company the tea is sold by, and to buy from a company that knows where their tea comes from.