Tea vs. Coffee

[moltar]

We know that coffee is not good for you. There are articles about this on this website and on many others. I don't drink coffee often. Less than once a month in a social environment just for fun.

On the other hand I am a big tea junkie. I drink anywhere from 1-10 cups a day. I drink black tea, either loose leaf or tea bags.

So the question is, since tea also has caffeine, is it as bad as coffee or is it ok to drink that much?

[nvictor]

Tea has caffeine? All kinds of tea?

[4Mind4Life]

De-caf. coffee is fine. Tea esp. green tea is great for you!

Originally Posted by moltar

We know that coffee is not good for you. There are articles about this on this website and on many others. I don't drink coffee often. Less than once a month in a social environment just for fun.

On the other hand I am a big tea junkie. I drink anywhere from 1-10 cups a day. I drink black tea, either loose leaf or tea bags.

So the question is, since tea also has caffeine, is it as bad as coffee or is it ok to drink that much?

[Keith]

Originally Posted by nvictor

Tea has caffeine? All kinds of tea?

All true tea has caffeine in it (even decaf has a little bit). There are lots of things called tea that don't: "peppermint tea" "Rooibos tea" etc. but these are all actually from different plants.


As to decaf coffee, it's often made by treating the coffee beans with chemicals which are, in themselves, not good for you. You can get coffee that has been decaffeinated via a water-based process that uses a lot of water - this may or may not be an ethical concern for you.

Tea is good for you (full of anti-oxidants). But it does have caffeine in it. Tea has about 2/3rd as much caffeine as coffee, so if you drink 10 cups of tea a day, that's the same as 6-7 cups of coffee, caffeine-wise.

Current thought is that black tea is about as good for you as green tea - green tea has a lot more of one particular type of anti-oxidant, but black has a more even mix of them. However, adding milk largely negates the anti-oxidant benefits, either way.

[smartattractor]

in defence of coffee~
:-)
"After analyzing data on 126,000 people for as long as 18 years, Harvard researchers calculate that compared with not partaking in America's favorite morning drink, downing one to three cups of caffeinated coffee daily can reduce diabetes risk by single digits. But having six cups or more each day slashed men's risk by 54% and women's by 30% over java avoiders.

Though the scientists give the customary "more research is needed" before they recommend you do overtime at Starbuck's to specifically prevent diabetes, their findings are very similar to those in a less-publicized Dutch study. And perhaps more importantly, it's the latest of hundreds of studies suggesting that coffee may be something of a health food -- especially in higher amounts.

In recent decades, some 19,000 studies have been done examining coffee's impact on health. And for the most part, their results are as pleasing as a gulp of freshly brewed Breakfast Blend for the 108 million Americans who routinely enjoy this traditionally morning -- and increasingly daylong -- ritual. In practical terms, regular coffee drinkers include the majority of U.S. adults and a growing number of children.

"Overall, the research shows that coffee is far more healthful than it is harmful," says Tomas DePaulis, PhD, research scientist at Vanderbilt University's Institute for Coffee Studies, which conducts its own medical research and tracks coffee studies from around the world. "For most people, very little bad comes from drinking it, but a lot of good."

Consider this: At least six studies indicate that people who drink coffee on a regular basis are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson's, with three showing the more they drink, the lower the risk. Other research shows that compared to not drinking coffee, at least two cups daily can translate to a 25% reduced risk of colon cancer, an 80% drop in liver cirrhosis risk, and nearly half the risk of gallstones.

Coffee even offsets some of the damage caused by other vices, some research indicates. "People who smoke and are heavy drinkers have less heart disease and liver damage when they regularly consume large amounts of coffee compared to those who don't," says DePaulis.

There's also some evidence that coffee may help manage asthma and even control attacks when medication is unavailable, stop a headache, boost mood, and even prevent cavities."
(excerpt from Health Benefits of Coffee - WebMD)

[cdn2wheeler]

Oddly enough, espresso coffee actually has much less caffeine in it than regular coffee. I'm not 100% sure why, but from what I understand it has something to do with the fact that the hot water is forced through the crushed bean very quickly which doesn't give the caffeine time to leech out of the grounds. More here: Is it true that espresso has less caffeine than regular coffee? | Coffee and Caffeine FAQ

[ChefSalad]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!! No on the Decaf. It's bad. Very, very bad. It's mostly made by soaking the leaves (or beans for coffee) in petrochemicals, and then quickly draining and drying them. This leaves residual petrochemicals on your tea. You're better off with the real thing.

Anywho, a little caffeine won't hurt you anyway, and may even prevent colon cancer. A great deal of caffeine is probably a bad idea, though. As for real tea, green tea generally has lower caffeine content than black tea, though not always. You'll need to experiment. You can get several cups of tea with only the caffeine of one cup by doing multiple infusions. You can usually get three to four cups out of one amount of most china green and oolong teas. Black teas, not so much.

As for other herbal "teas" (and red "tea" (rooibus)), they rarely have caffeine. Yerba mate and kola nut are the only exceptions I'm aware of. The quotes are there because they aren't really called tea. They're herbal infusions. People started calling them tea, because they can prepared in much the same way. Mint, chamomile and lavender are good herbal infusions to try. Watch out for artificial flavors in the blended packages.

Actual tea comes from the leaves of a specific plant (Camilla sinensis), and is available in a variety of forms. Black, green, oolong, pu-erh, and white are the basic types, with each having a serious variety of flavors based on preparation style and growing region. In general, oolong and white will have the highest quality since they are the most difficult to harvest and cure. My personal tea collection has over 70 different teas, and I can tell the difference between each one.

On red tea. In China, black tea is called red tea. You will rarely see black tea called red tea outside of China. You will, however, see an African root called rooibus sold as red tea. Is it caffeine free and has a spicy taste (not hot spicy but pumpkin pie spicy) which reminds me Christmas. I recommend it for the caffeine-averse.

On yerba mate. Mate doesn't technically contain caffeine. It contains mateine, a compound so similar to caffeine that it took many years of study before scientists realized there was a difference. Mate, to me, seems like it has less of a buzzy effect than coffee but more of a buzzy effect than tea. This is probably because tea not only has caffeine but a sedative as well, which takes the jitters out of the caffeine experience.

[beautyscientist]

A recent study in Turkey reported in the Journal of Cosmetic Science has shown that black tea has a mild sunscreen effect when applied to the skin as a gel.

[Addict]

We know that coffee is not good for you.

I'm not so sure. I'll readily admit that tea is much better than coffee (at least certain kinds, especially green tea): a moot point for me because I can't stand the taste of tea. However, I don't think there is a consensus that coffee is bad for you. The article about giving up coffee on this site actually points out advantages and disadvantages (none of which are really about health).

[Matthew Shea]

It seems to me that the overwhelming number of people who look to stop drinking coffee either perceive some sort of health risk without some solid basis of fact or they're uncomfortable with the fact that caffeine is mildly physically addictive. I drink coffee every day, personally, and I've seen people argue about coffee both ways. I've come to the conclusion that it's just not that big a deal and the potential pros and cons just aren't substantial enough to merit any more of my brainpower.

The only thing I'd caution against is going overboard with it. If you're spending the better part of every day nervous and jumpy from an excess of caffeine, you're really begging for problems. Know your limits, stick to them and you'll be fine.

[mlc82]

Originally Posted by Matthew Shea

It seems to me that the overwhelming number of people who look to stop drinking coffee either perceive some sort of health risk without some solid basis of fact or they're uncomfortable with the fact that caffeine is mildly physically addictive. I drink coffee every day, personally, and I've seen people argue about coffee both ways. I've come to the conclusion that it's just not that big a deal and the potential pros and cons just aren't substantial enough to merit any more of my brainpower.

The only thing I'd caution against is going overboard with it. If you're spending the better part of every day nervous and jumpy from an excess of caffeine, you're really begging for problems. Know your limits, stick to them and you'll be fine.

I figure, with the degree of irony I tend to experience in life, that if I ever stopped drinking coffee for "health reasons", I really would likely walk outside and be run over by a truck or something.

Not that I would ever stop coffee anyway, I love the stuff so much I like to call it "Water Infused with Divinity".

[AllieK]

I dont think that coffee is doing any harm to my body. Usually when i am sitting at the office or at home place, or when i am working late nights i drink coffee and nothing happens uptil now. And about tea, if you want to be fit then drink green tea only.

[Jennihul]

I base all my food choices on my blood type according to extensive research over two generations by Dr Peter D'adamo and his father.

He is the author of Eat Right 4 Your Type.

My blood type is O. For me, green tea is highly beneficial but black tea is an "avoid" food. Both black and green tea also naturally absorb high levels of naturally occuring fluoride which has been implicated in bone cancer, alzheimer's, MS, thyroid cancer and many other illnesses. Couple that with non-natural fluoride in the water you drink and you can be overloading with this toxin. Even the ADA and the scientists at the FDA have reversed their recommendations on water fluoridation owing to recent studies.

Free-trade, organic, swiss water processed decaf coffee is easily found at most supermarkets now.

PS: A lot of ANYTHING is probably bad for you.


Jennifer

[eblight]

Black tea has caffeine, I believe not as high as coffee but enough to make some people have mild to severe side effects if excessively consumed. You know if you are addicted to either by just giving them up for a day. Chances are if you are feeling agitated, headachy, and irritable you may well be suffering withdrawal symptoms. Another sign is not being able to get off to sleep at night after coffee or tea.
Black tea is highly acidic and high in tannin.
A cup of coffee drunk mid morning has the affect of increasing alertness and concentration.
An alternative to black tea that has more of a tea like taste than many other herbal teas is Rooibos or Red tea which is grown in South Africa and available in most western countries. It's a great tea for anyone trying to kick the black tea habit. Rooibos tea is caffeine free. It is rich in flavonoids and the minerals calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc, and low in tannin.

[escapee]

Black tea contains high amount Tannin, a compound known to chelate with minerals ( Not good if you're mineral deficient ) and heavy metals ( good for detox ). So drinking tea does not mean that you should forgo eating food that are mineral densed and highly bioavalaible in essential minerals and amino acids.

Tannin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If ingested in excessive quantities, tannins inhibit the absorption of minerals such as iron into the body. This is because tannins are metal ion chelators, and tannin-chelated metal ions are not bioavailable. This may not be bad for someone with an infection, as iron is mopped up by the immune system to keep microorganisms from properly multiplying. Tannins have been shown to precipitate proteins,[1] which inhibits in some ruminant animals the absorption of nutrients from high-tannin grains such as sorghum.

Bioline International Official Site (site up-dated regularly)

Tannins also complexes proteins, divalent metals, cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin and other carbonhydrates. (Mahanato, et. al., 1982). High consumption of tannin is dangerous to health, being a phenolic secondary plant metabolite with one or more hydroxyl substitutes bonded to aromatic ring, it produces anthrocyanides, another toxic product on acid degradation (Gatachew, et. al. 2000; Waterman and Cole, 1994). Another danger of consumption of high concentration of tannins is that it is not normally extracted either with solvents or detergents thus tannin-protein complexes cannot easily be broken down or digested (Perez Maldonado, et. al. 1996). The tannin content of G. Kola is low and thus can be assumed to be non-toxic. Mole and Waterman, (1987) showed that addition of 1mg/ml of tannic acid to a standard trypsin solution led to the formation of an insoluble complex