Being a product of nature, Tea is a very refreshing drink. In recent years, scientists have found out that tea leaves contain natural anti-oxidants, similar to those found in fruits and vegetables. These Anti-Oxidants are known as flavonoids.

Antioxidants do an important job to keep us healthy. They help keep free radicals in balance. Free radicals increase when we’re exposed to smoking, sunlight and pollution and too many can become harmful.

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1. What are antioxidants?

The human body constantly produces unstable molecules called oxidants, also commonly referred to as free radicals. To become stable, oxidants steal electrons from other molecules and, in the process, damage cell proteins and genetic material. This damage may leave the cell vulnerable to cancer. Antioxidants are substances that allow the human body to scavenge and seize oxidants. Like other antioxidants, the catechins found in tea selectively inhibit specific enzyme activities that lead to cancer. They may also target and repair DNA aberrations caused by oxidants.

2. What is the level of antioxidants found in tea?

All varieties of tea come from the leaves of a single evergreen plant, Camellia sinensis. All tea leaves are picked, rolled, dried, and heated. With the additional process of allowing the leaves to ferment and oxidize, black tea is produced. Possibly because it is less processed, green tea contains higher levels of antioxidants than black tea.
Although tea is consumed in a variety of ways and varies in its chemical makeup, one study showed steeping either green or black tea for about five minutes released over 80 percent of its catechins. Instant iced tea, on the other hand, contains negligible amounts of catechins.

3. What are the laboratory findings?

In the laboratory, studies have shown tea catechins act as powerful inhibitors of cancer growth in several ways: They scavenge oxidants before cell injuries occur, reduce the incidence and size of chemically induced tumors, and inhibit the growth of tumor cells. In studies of liver, skin and stomach cancer, chemically induced tumors were shown to decrease in size in mice that were fed green and black tea.

4. What are the results of human studies?

Although tea has long been identified as an antioxidant in the laboratory, study results involving humans have been contradictory. Some epidemiological studies comparing tea drinkers to non-tea drinkers support the claim that drinking tea prevents cancer; others do not. Dietary, environmental, and population differences may account for these inconsistencies.

5. What about caffeine?

It’s the caffeine in tea that gives you that uplift or stimulus. There’s around 50 mg of caffeine in each cup of tea – about the same as a bar of plain chocolate, and only half of the amount of caffeine in a cup of filtered coffee. Experts consider a ‘moderate’ daily amount of caffeine to be 300 mg, the equivalent of six cups of tea.

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