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The Health Benefits Of Drinking Hot Tea

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Many get their daily morning jolt of caffeine from coffee, but others prefer the more soothing approach of hot tea — which has several health benefits.

Isabella Ferrari, a registered dietitian with Parkland Hospital System, says the type and number of health benefits you gain from tea depends on the variety you choose.

INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS:

Green Tea VS. Black Tea

Green tea is high in antioxidants, which are great for the anti-inflammatory properties. They can help prevent heart disease, even cancer, diabetes as well. Black tea has less of the anti-inflammatory properties. It’s still known to decrease your risk for heart disease, or diabetes, or even cancer.

Can Tea Help With Weight Loss? 

Most of the studies that say that were done on rats. There’s one that says tea increased fat oxidation by ten to 14%. Another [study] had women take tea extract versus a placebo, and they did find that the green tea created weight loss. But if you’re drinking green tea instead of soda or sweet tea, then that for sure, can aid in some weight loss.

Tea And Ovarian Cancer

In general, I think it helps prevent cancer because of the anti-inflammatory properties of the tea and it can prevent those free radicals that are not good for our bodies. Another great thing to know is that green tea is high in flavonoids, which we’ve heard about because they’re present in fruits and veggies.

Iced Tea VS. Hot Tea

The temperature does not change the health benefits at all. But we’re used to drinking a lot of sweet tea in Texas, so that would be the only difference.

RESOURCES:

Is Tea Good or Bad For You?

What are the health benefits of green tea?

What are the best teas for health?

Tea: The nutrition source

Sam Baker is KERA's senior editor and local host for Morning Edition. The native of Beaumont, Texas, also edits and produces radio commentaries and Vital Signs, a series that's part of the station's Breakthroughs initiative. He also was the longtime host of KERA 13’s Emmy Award-winning public affairs program On the Record. He also won an Emmy in 2008 for KERA’s Sharing the Power: A Voter’s Voice Special, and has earned honors from the Associated Press and the Public Radio News Directors Inc.