Tea 101

Health Benefits of Tea

Jan 11, 2022
Shop all teas

We are often asked about the health benefits of consuming tea. As you may know, Smith Teamaker is a tea company that puts a lot of emphasis on the flavor in the cup. However, there is no denying that regularly drinking tea can have a true and lasting impact on your wellness. It should be noted that there is a plethora of exaggerated claims and misinformation out there about what tea can do for your health. We have tried to include information here that has been researched and proven.

Of course, there is also herbal “tea” which can span a huge range of ingredients from other plants, (not Camellia sinensis): flowers, leaves, berries, barks, peels, roots, etc. While the herbal category certainly has its place in a conversation about health and wellness, the information presented here is specific to tea from the “tea plant,” Camellia sinensis.

The following research was presented at the World Tea Expo in 2015 by Lenore Arab, Ph.D., a professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. A meta analysis (which pools the results of multiple scientific studies) approach was used in presenting these functional health benefits of tea.

Box of Spring Greens green tea next to vase of dandelions and a brewed cup of tea.

key health findings

Unsweetened, pure tea is essentially free of calories and is therefore desirable for weight management.

Tea is beneficial for adults and children as a low calorie source of hydration and flouride.

Tea can be beneficial at enhancing attentiveness, cognition and is is desirable for those at risk of stroke and people with compromised endothelial (healthy blood vessels) function.

Tray with cup of black tea, a sachet of Lord Bergamot, a piece of banana toast and a newspaper.

tea and heart health

Reduces Risk of Stroke: Black tea consumption is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke (around 11% - 23%).

Tea Improves Endothelial Function (healthy blood vessels): 2-3 cups of either black or green tea providing 250- 500 mg tea flavonoids improve both acute and chronic endothelial function (effects starting at approximately 1/2 cup tea).

Tea Lowers Blood Pressure: Consumption of black tea can lower the rate of systolic (2%) and diastolic (1.5%) blood pressure in individuals with normal to high range blood pressure.

Hand holding a gaiwan cup filled with tea with pu erh cake and gaiwan set in background.

tea and cognition

Tea components (theanine & caffeine) enhance cognitive performance.

Tea affects brain Alpha Waves (can help with feeling calm, relaxed).

Cohort analyses suggests tea drinking is associated with less cognitive decline in aging.

Benefits of tea for reducing the risk of heart disease may improve brain health too.

Ceramic bowl of ceremonial matcha on a counter top with matcha powder scattered.

more about theanine

Theanine is an amino acid found mostly in plant and fungal species and is substantially present in tea leaves. Intentionally shading tea plants from direct sunlight (like in the production of matcha green tea) increases theanine content. Theanine is responsible for the unique savory (umami) flavor found in green tea. Paired with caffeine, theanine may help increase focus and attention, too.

A box of Lord Bergamot on a table with a tasting spoon, a teacup and the Teamaker's almanac.

antioxidants in tea

After hearing Dr. Arab speak about the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) Report of 2010, the term “antioxidant” should probably be removed from tea labels as well as any claim that “antioxidant activity/content and/or antioxidant properties has a beneficial physiological effect.”

Her research states that “antioxidant capacity/content or properties of food/food constituents based on their capability of scavenging free radicals in vitro does not establish a beneficial physiological effect in humans.” Put more simply, there is evidence that a compound can scavenge harmful free radicals in a petri dish, but there is no real insight into how that compound will behave in the human body. Many antioxidants in tea are not well absorbed in the human body, which suggests that we should stop talking about them in a generic sense, and instead focus on which compounds do gain access to the appropriate cells in the body to exert real biological effects. We will likely be hearing more about antioxidants and their effects or lack thereof, in the future.

shop all teas and infusions