Is Tea better than Coffee?

At the present time, scientific studies seem to support tea as having more health benefits than coffee. However, it is often hard to find research that separates coffee from its caffeine content.

Teas -- and here we are talking about the nonherbal, black and green variety -- contain an antioxidant compound known as polyphenols. These polyphenols may contain anti-cancer and anti-heart disease properties. Studies are still incomplete and inconclusive, but observational evidence is pointing strongly toward having a protective effect against these two deadly diseases.

Green and black teas are actually the same plant that has been processed in different ways. More polyphenols are destroyed in the black teas due to the type of processing. Therefore, green teas seem to have more of the beneficial effects mentioned, but black teas still retain some of the benefits.

Laboratory studies are showing the polyphenols in tea can help prevent cancer from forming, may stabilize or shrink present cancers and prevent them from spreading. This effect seems to lie in polyphenols' ability to prevent the oxidation that causes damage to DNA and turns normal cells into cancer cells. In addition, polyphenols inhibit enzyme activity that potentiates the malignancy of carcinogenic compounds.

The link between tea and the prevention of heart disease is not yet as strong as that for cancer. It may be that tea polyphenols reduce blood cholesterol and reduce blood pressure. It may also prevent the formation of clots that can lead to heart attack or stroke. Both regular and decaffeinated tea, as well as ice tea, have comparable levels of polyphenols.

Tea is relatively low in caffeine, with the actual amount varying by brewing time and tea type. Pound for pound, tea contains more caffeine than coffee, but because so much less tea is used to brew a cup, the caffeine content is much lower. A cup of black tea steeped for four minutes has 40 to 100 milligrams of caffeine, whereas a three minute infusion only contains about 20 to 40 milligrams. A comparable cup of coffee contains 60 to 180 milligrams. Oolongs have even less caffeine and green teas have negligible amounts.

On the other hand, over the years, multiple attempts have been made to associate coffee with negative health effects. However, most claims remain unsubstantiated. Coffee seems to be a relatively safe beverage in moderation. There are, in fact, some positives to drinking coffee, based on its caffeine content. For example, coffee is probably the most concentrated source of caffeine in our diets. In moderation, caffeine is capable of boosting energy, increasing alertness and quickening reaction time. It is a mood elevator and may help mild depression. For asthmatics, even a single cup of coffee per day has been shown to reduce asthmatic symptoms.

Although tea compiles a longer list of health benefits than coffee, that doesn't mean you must settle for tea exclusively. There is room for both.

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