Why you should drink tea frequently

Tea has been proven to be awesome for your health. But before loading up on Red Zinger(red zinger is fresh hibiscus tea), make sure that your “tea” is actually tea. Real tea is derived from
a particular plant Camellia Sinensis and includes only four varieties: green, black, white, and oolong. Anything else like herbal “tea” is an addition of a different plant and isn’t actually tea.

Tea comes with some serious health benefits. The tea's health benefit is because of  very important compounds it has(Polyphenols and phytochemicals).  Though most studies have focused on the better-known green and black teas, white and oolong has it's own benefits too.
 Read on to find out why tea is superb for your health.

•  Tea helps fight free radicals.

Dr. Denham Harmon, M.D., Ph.D., first proposed a theory of aging as the indiscriminate chemical reactivity of free radicals possibly leading to random biological damage. His idea has had much experimental success, and it is now considered a major theory of aging. Dr. Harmon's theory implies that antioxidants such as vitamin C and vitamin E, which prevent free radicals from oxidizing (removing electrons from) sensitive biological molecules, will slow the aging process. Dr. Harmon launched his theory by showing, for the first time, that feeding a variety of antioxidants to mammals extended their life spans.
 Our bodies are designed to fight free radicals on their own, but cannot accomplish this great task alone— and since damage from these free radicals in the cells has been linked to cancer, heart disease, and neurological degeneration, we’ll take all the help we can get.  Tea is high in oxygen radical absorbance capacity, which means that it helps destroy free radicals (which can damage DNA and cause aging) in the body.

•  The powerful antioxidants in tea might help protect against a boatload of cancers, including breast, colon, colorectal, skin, lung, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, pancreas, liver, ovarian, prostate and oral cancers.

•   Tea might also help protect against cardiovascular and degenerative diseases.

• Drinking tea could help Reduce the risk of heart attack.  

 Researchers believe the protection in tea may be coming from flavonoids.
In the research, reported last week in the medical journal Circulation, researchers quizzed almost 2,000 people a few days after they had suffered a heart attack about their tea-drinking habits.
They found that in the previous year, more than half drank no tea, 615 were moderate drinkers (14 cups a week) and 26 were heavy consumers (more than 14 cups).
Four years later, and after 313 of the patients had died, the researchers went back to see if the death rate varied with tea drinking habits. They found that the death rate among moderate drinkers was 28 per cent lower than that of the non-drinkers, while among the heavy tea drinkers the death rate was 44 per cent lower.
Dr Kenneth Mukamal, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, who led the study, said: 'Flavonoids are probably the best guess for the apparent benefits of tea in this study.'

• Tea can boost exercise endurance.

Scientists have found that the catechins (antioxidants) in green tea extract increase the body’s ability to burn fat as fuel, which accounts for improved muscle endurance.

•  Fertility

 Taking a cup daily makes it easier to conceive, according to a report in the American Journal of Public Health. It is also possible to double the chances of conceiving by drinking half a cup or more of green tea. In addition, the maturing of eggs can also be increased, and the eggs may even become more fertile. These are all great ways in which women can become more fertile; however, the benefits just don’t stop at the women. Studies have shown that male fertility can be increased as problems such as having a low sperm count, or low sperm motility can be improved.

• Stroke  

The antioxidants which tea contains can cut the risk of suffering from a stroke. Catherine Collins, from the British Dietetic Association, says: 'Flavonoids can reduce the chances of having a stroke, as they can prevent the artery walls from narrowing and hence promoting free blood flow.

• Prevents tooth decay

Tea is one of the few natural dietary sources of fluoride. According to a study from Newcastle University, three standard cups of tea a day could provide children with enough fluoride to prevent tooth decay.

• Tea can stop headache

 A cup of tea is a good way of soothing headaches, according to experts. A new clinical trial revealed that low levels of caffeine in tea has pain-relieving properties.

References

1.  http://www.conceiveeasy.com/get-pregnant/benefits-of-green-tea-for-increasing-fertility/
2. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-113588/Tea-reduce-risk-heart-attack.html

3. http://www.healingdaily.com/conditions/free-radicals.htm

4.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camellia_sinensis

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-radical_theory_of_aging