To Drink Green Tea Or Black Tea - Which Tea has More Antioxidants?

By Sean Anderson


Did you know that green and black tea originate from the exact same source? Despite the fact that the colors are different, both of them are taken from a plant known as camellia sinensis. Teas are identified as one of the healthiest drinks and both green and black teas are great for health. Exactly how are they different and more importantly which tea of the two contains more health rewards versus the other?

Because tea is a drink, we will review the two teas from a taste perspective. Which beverage is tastier is an individual choice; having said that green tea offers more of a bitter flavor compared to black tea. Black tea possesses a richer taste than green tea. For this reason, most novice drinkers have a preference for black tea over green tea. Still knowing that tea is a healthy beverage, flavor is probably not the main concern.

Even before tasting the drink, color distinguishes the two teas. The colors are not the same as a result of the tea processing. Both teas undergo similar processing besides the oxidation process. Green tea's initial dehydrating process is a short procedure of panning or steaming which lessens oxidation. In contrast, black tea goes through a full oxidation process which uses up to 3 hours. This procedure is the main reason why flavor is richer and the color is darker. Just what exactly does that mean in regards to health improvements?

Camellia sinensis leaves are naturally green identical to many other plants. When it comes down to food, one that is more processed often drops more of its natural active ingredients. The same exact reasoning is also applicable to tea leaf. Retaining the color green indicates it will have more of catechins.

Catechins are the active substance found in the tea leaves. They are responsible for amazing benefits like lowing bad cholesterol, cancer prevention, heart disease and weight loss. Researches have shown that a full cup of green tea offers eight times more catechins than black tea. In theory, you'll have to drink eight more glasses of black tea than green tea to get the equivalent amount of benefits.

You can find results of countless tests on the health benefits of black tea. Some lab studies were successful against cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes. This highlights the restorative healing capability of camellia sinensis. Regardless of what kind of operation it goes though, the leaves remain helpful to human body. But it seems sensible to drink the tea that contains more of the active ingredient. So why don't you start including green tea to your daily diet.




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