Take advantage of the many benefits of Tea
By Kathleen Shimomura
Whether you are having a formal tea at the Ritz or drinking your morning cup of tea at the kitchen table, you will derive many health benefits from that steeped beverage.
The age-old Camellia sinensis (tea) plant is the source of all non-herbal teas. Manufacturers process C. sinensis leaves three ways to produce the three major classes of teas: green, black and oolong. Today about 75% of the tea produced worldwide is black; about 23% is green; and about 2% is oolong. Over the centuries, C. sinensis plants grew in the sun, and to protect themselves against environmental stressors they developed polyphenols — a beneficial compound that contains flavonoids. These substances give many fruits and vegetables an antioxidant boost, and the high amount of antioxidants found in tea is encouraging a variety of research. Both green and black teas come from the leaves of the C. sinensis, but the processing that makes the final tea is different. The leaves for black tea are fully oxidized, while the leaves for 
green tea are lightly steamed before being dried. Black and green teas both contain similar flavonoids, called catechins, while the black tea contains a more complex form.
White tea is a specific form that has been minimally processed, usually just steamed and air-dried. It contains a higher proportion of buds than other teas. The best quality of white tea is made entirely from buds that are covered with downy, white hairs. The new buds are plucked only once a year before they open in the early spring. A research study done at the Linus Pauling Institute found that white tea contains a higher concentration of antioxidants than green tea.
Some health benefits of drinking tea are:
• Reports indicate that flavonoids from green tea may decrease the risk of heart disease. Another study concluded that drinking black tea along with a diet moderately low in fat and cholesterol reduces total and LDL cholesterol significantly and may reduce the risk of heart disease.
• Tea has long been tied to a lower risk of stomach, colon and breast cancer. Research is still in review. Rutgers University researchers showed that a compound in black tea called TF-2 causes colon cancer cells to "commit suicide" while normal cells were unaffected, and animal studies demonstrate that tea flavonoids protect against several types of cancer.
• Tea can help protect against osteoporosis. Researchers in Taiwan found that people who drank an average of two cups of black, green or oolong tea daily for at least six years had stronger bones.
• Studies completed at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and Harvard Medical School found that a chemical in tea boosts the body's defense against disease by five-fold. Butkowski from Brigham and Women's Hospital encourages drinking five cups of tea a day to sharpen the body's defenses against disease.
For the best benefits from tea; drink a variety of teas — black, green and white. Buy tea in bags or leaves; research indicates that bottled and instant tea have few antioxidants. Keep tea sealed well in airtight containers. Herbal teas do not have the same health properties as the actual tea plant (Camellia sinensis). Tea with caffeine has slightly more antioxidant activity. When making tea, steep in hot water for 3 to 5 minutes to thoroughly release antioxidants. Recent findings state that adding milk to tea does not block absorption of antioxidants. So turn on the kettle, choose your favorite teacup and reap the health benefits that tea may offer!
Kathleen Shimomura is a family and consumer sciences educator with Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
