It is incredible to me, as an avid steeper of the delicious and myriad cups, which camellia sinensis ("true tea"!!) delivers, that some people still do not gravitate towards it as a beverage of choice. What is even more astonishing, to me, is the insistence among consumers to choose herbal concoctions over true teas when considering health benefits, despite more conclusive evidence supporting camellia sinensis than any other botanical that I know of!
I can hear you now, " Well it's the caffeine in tea that is the problem!" but this is not strictly true. Yes, if you have a sensitivity to caffeine then you need to be careful of your intake but honestly, there is less caffeine in an average cup of tea than coffee or many other ingestables and the former comes with it's partner L-Theanine which doesn't just perk you up but is associated with greater focus, so a more useful boost, if you will. I always refer to the union of the two as the "smoother high" but hard to own in a country where cannabis is legal!
Hey, but that's not the news! If you know anything about tea and it's protective capacity, thanks to a whole host of compounds, largely grouped as "polyphenols", then you know that serious research and support has been awarded this beast of a beverage and from groups as reputable as the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
Old news? well what about this:
The Top Line on Flavanol-3-ols and tea
You can read through this in your own time, but top line is this, tea is full of Flavanol-3-ols and they are good for you! Certain conditions exist, as with everything, but this group of compounds adds to the "Hero beverage" status of camellia sinensis brews. In the report's own words
"Moderate evidence supporting cardiometabolic protection resulting from flavan-3-ol intake in the range of 400–600 mg/d was supported in the literature. Further, increasing consumption of dietary flavan-3-ols can help improve blood pressure, cholesterol concentrations, and blood sugar. Strength of evidence was strongest for some biomarkers (i.e., systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and insulin/glucose dynamics)."
It should be added that this is a food-based guide and it is not a recommendation for supplements!
That amount of 400-600mg/d sounds like a big number, until you see what can be acquired through a normal daily intake of real tea. The below is an extract from the full table in the report but is a dramatic indicator of just how powerful a contributor tea is to achieving the recommended dosage
The Holiday Gift (s)
I told you it was a holiday gift but I should have said holiday gifts as there is a twofold giving here.
1.To those of you that drink the real thing, the gift is peace of mind and an inward smile, as you smugly identify yourself as ahead of the curve and add to your tea lexicon "Flavanal-3-ols" to your EGCGs, thearubigins et al.
2.To those of you relying on other tinctures, the gift is even greater. It is a reason to enjoy one of the most diverse, flavorful and natural beverages on the planet, real tea, and contribute to your own wellbeing to boot!
Happy holidays, whenever they fall in this year for you!