New Spotlight: The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging Green Tea Part III
August 27th, 2010 by heart_health
The amounts of the theaflavins and catechins that are in any tea sample, (black, green or oolong) will depend on where in the world the leaves grow and of course how they are processed prior to them drying. Factors such as the soil they are grown in should influence the content of polyphenols. Whether the tea is blended, decaffeinated or freeze-dried and the preparation (how much tea is used in each glass or cup, how long it is left to steep, dissolve or brew and at what temperature) all affect the beverage’s phytonutrient content. The process of decaffeination does remove some of the phytonutrients, as well as the caffeine (which is a completely unavoidable consequence of the chemistry of decaffeination).
Brewed hot tea contains the largest amount of phytonutrients, “instant” teas have lost about 80% of their phytonutrients and “iced” and other ready-to-drink tea products contain even less. Diluting tea with milk, water or ice obviously reduces the amount of phytonutrients contained in each cup or glass. Interestingly, recent studies have found that taking tea with milk may reduce its ability to enhance blood circulation and hinder some of its antioxidant benefits. It’s also important to realize that so-called “herbal teas” really are not “teas” but are boiled decoctions of the herbs used to make them – and they contain none of the beneficial tea catechins or theaflavins, although they certainly do contain beneficial compounds present in the particular herbs.
Tea as a Dietary Supplement
Why should all of this be important to you? It is really important for anyone to remember that even though drinking tea is an extremely healthy practice, cold or hot teas that are prepared from either powdered leaves, loose dried leaves or “bags” are less reliable sources of tea phytonutrients than are the standardized powders used in the dietary supplements of the highest-quality. Standardized extracts control for the level of individual and collective tea polyphenols, and research shows that in order to receive optimal benefits from tea intake, each day an optimal amount of polyphenols should be consumed. This can mean drinking cups and cups of tea daily. In addition, the catechins in high-quality standardized powders are absorbed approx. twice as readily as they are from teas.
Of course, when it comes to drinking tea, sometimes enough can be enough! And some days you’d just rather drink something else. Not to worry – combining tea (or even replacing tea as a beverage) with a top-of-the-line dietary supplement high in catechin content is the perfect answer. Make sure to look for products that contain the multiple polyphenols present in tea as each polyphenol has unique benefits and together they create synergistic effects.
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