The Health Benefits Of Drinking Black Tea

Did you know that tea is the second most-consumed beverage in the world after water? People have been drinking tea for over 5,000 years and they show no signs of stopping! Modern research has found that not only is tea quite tasty, it is also very beneficial to our health and well-being, making it more popular than ever.

All types of tea offer some health benefits, but researchers are still in the process of discovering the full potential of black tea and the wide variety of ways it can help to improve and protect your physical and mental health. Followed closely by green tea, black tea is the most popular type of tea in the world. Black tea leaves are the result of an oxidation process that exposes the cells within the leaves to oxygen. This oxidation gives black tea a few different benefits from green tea, which is not oxidized.

So, what are the benefits of drinking black tea?

All teas contain polyphenols, which are antioxidants that can protect you from a variety of chronic diseases. Black tea is unique in that it contains a group of polyphenols called theaflavins, that other types of tea don’t have. The theaflavins are developed during oxidation and provide advantages to the drinker like the following:

• Promotes Heart Health – While all teas have some of this quality, black tea is particularly potent when it comes to promoting heart health. Theaflavins lower blood cholesterol, while the flavonoids, which are the same antioxidants found in dark chocolate, nuts, and red wine, reduce the risk of heart disease by 10%! Every cup of black tea you drink lowers your blood pressure. High blood pressure, or hypertension is the leading cause of major cardiovascular events like heart attacks! 
• Reduces Stroke Risk – Strokes happen when the blood vessels carrying blood to the brain experience a blockage. It is the second leading cause of death in the world! People who regularly drink black tea can greatly reduce their risk of stroke. Drinking at least two cups of tea daily can reduce stroke risk by 17% when compared to people who don’t drink tea!
• Lowers The Level of Blood Sugar -If you are drinking black tea without adding any sweeteners you can decrease your body’s blood glucose and improve your ability to manage sugar. Black tea has been demonstrated to improve blood sugar levels when consumed immediately after meals in pre-diabetic and normal adults.
• Improves Mental Focus – Unlike green tea, black tea contains caffeine in about half the amount found in coffee. It also has an amino acid called L-theanine which combines with caffeine to increase focus and alertness. Caffeine consumed on its own creates a jittery kind of energy, but the L-theanine in black tea helps to produce a stable, mellow energy. Studies examining how drinking black tea can affect one’s cognitive performance when compared to drinking water found that the participants who drank black tea were able to perform better in memory and executive function tasks, meaning they got smarter!

Black tea is a wonderful, soothing beverage that not only tastes great, but gives your body a significant health boost!