Tea is more than a Tradition, It's a Health Powerhouse!

You may drink tea because you enjoy the flavour. But you may be surprised to learn that you are helping your body a great deal toward maintaining good health with every sip you take.

At over 5,000 years old, Tea has earned quite a reputation around the world. It's withstood the test of time and has become popular around the globe. While it's the second most popular drink around, it's something that people never seem to grow tired of. And in recent years there has been significant research and evidence to suggest that Tea is more than a tradition, it's essential to maintaining good health and preventing many of the illnesses and diseases that plague societies.

Drinking Revolution

In the UK alone, we consume around 165 million cups of tea per day, according to the United Kingdom Tea Council. That amounts to about 60.2 billion cups of tea per year, and they estimate that the drink makes up about 40 percent of the fluid intake per day for the average person. That's a lot of tea. And a lot of health benefits that consumers are receiving as a result.

With so many years of experience, it's no wonder that this drink has been used as a health tonic, as a barter commodity, and to give people a way to relax and enjoy a few minutes out of their day. Whether you are someone who's never really got into drinking tea or you've been drinking it your whole life, there are many reasons for taking tea, long into your retirement years.

Keeping Healthy

Much research has been done on the benefits of consuming tea on a regular basis, and even more will be done in the years to come. While some people have long believed there were health benefits from it, people are now beginning to back those claims with proof. At this point, there is research to suggest that drinking four cups of tea per day has healthy properties. Even just two cups per day is now believed to help with things like cutting the risk of ovarian cancer in half.

Additionally, tea contains zinc, folic acid, minerals and, perhaps most importantly to the aging process, antioxidants. Free radicals, or atoms in the body that can destroy or damage cells, are inhibited by antioxidants. Because of this, tea is a great route to take when looking to slow the aging process. It's also thought that tea may have some cancer prevention benefits because of the polyphenols it contains. Other research has suggested that polyphenols may also lower cholesterol levels, while additional studies have shown that drinking four cups per day can help ward off heart disease.

What to Drink

Drinking tea on a daily basis can go a long way toward helping you stay healthy, and slowing down the aging process. There is very little to worry about for most people when it comes to the caffeine in an average cup of tea, as it's usually about half of what is found in a typical cup of coffee. If you are having trouble deciding between black or green tea, stop worrying. Both have beneficial properties in their own right, and the two types actually come from the same plant, just from different parts.

So sip some green or black tea, relax, and know that you are doing your body a great service. While many of us may turn our noses up at routine exercise, drinking tea each day is one thing we can do to help keep ourselves young, our minds healthy, and our bodies protected from an entire array of diseases.

source: United Kingdom Tea Council. Stats & Facts.