Black Tea vs. Coffee
If you are guilty of consuming tons of caffeinated drinks to get energy, you may be doing more harm than good to your mind and body. People who are over-indulging in anything are sure to experience negative health outcomes. However, when it comes to analyzing the benefits and drawbacks of some of the most popular caffeinated beverages, black tea and coffee come to mind instantly.
While your morning coffee may give you a fresh start to your day, black tea is rich in antioxidants that improve your digestion and other bodily functions.
Black tea originated from China, around 4,000 years ago. Today, black tea is one of the most popular beverages that millions of people consume every year.
While it is true that consuming excessive amounts of black tea result in nausea and dizziness, there are only a few side effects as compared to coffee, when you consume in moderate amounts.
Black Tea vs. Coffee
In this article, we are going to take a detailed look at some of the similarities and differences between black tea and coffee to discover the pros and cons of each beverage.
Caffeine Content
The caffeine content varies depending on the beverage’s serving size, brewing time, and preparation method. However, coffee has twice the caffeine content of an equal serving of tea. The caffeine content also varies and depends on the type of coffee you drink. For instance, dark-roasted coffee beans contain more caffeine than light-roasted coffee beans.
It is worth noting that black tea is prepared with oxidized leaves. This gives it a sharp and bold flavor that allows a good quantity of caffeine to blend in hot water.
Antioxidants
Both coffee and black tea contain antioxidants that protect the body. The beverages can help you neutralize dangerous free radicals in the body. Instant coffee comes with chlorogenic acid - the potent
antioxidant in it. This is one of the reasons why Americans drink coffee every day - because it is the main dietary source to improve antioxidant intake.
If you are a coffee person, there is no better option than drinking black coffee to get antioxidants your body needs to fight harmful radicals. The rich content of polyphenols in black tea makes it an amazing antioxidant-rich beverage. Drinking black tea is a healthy way to take antioxidants and promote your overall health.
Energy Levels
Black tea and coffee affect energy levels, but differently.
How Does Black Tea Boost Energy?
Want to kick start a day? Black tea can help you do that by boosting your energy levels. It is simply because black tea contains a relatively less amount of caffeine as compared to a cup of coffee. But this is not the only reason that makes black tea an energy booster. Black tea has a powerful amino acid called L-theanine that keeps you more active and energized throughout the day.
How Does Coffee Boost Energy?
Coffee is also a good energy booster and can help you feel active and less tired. Unlike black tea, caffeine in coffee is directly absorbed into the bloodstream. It goes to the brain and combats
neurotransmitter adenosine. This eventually increases the production of dopamine and norepinephrine that enhance both mood and energy levels.
The Weight Loss Effects
Tea has phytonutrients and antioxidants that help flush out toxins to help you lose weight. Even though coffee may also have an impact on your weight, the polyphenols present in black tea boost your gut health, helping with better weight management.
Many recent types of research have shown that black tea can be a great help for people struggling to shed some pounds. The European Journal of Nutrition published a study that showed how black tea contributes to weight loss through a special mechanism of the gut microbiome.
The mechanism is different from green tea weight loss particles. The study also found that black tea can help decrease gut microbes that cause obesity and increase bacteria associated with healthy body mass. Besides this, the flavonoids in black tea play an important role in lowering triglycerides and visceral fats.
Coffee, on the other hand, can be potentially helpful for your diet plan due to its activated brown fat. But it is not as beneficial as black tea when it is about shedding unwanted pounds. Black tea accelerates weight loss mechanisms as it has a high concentration of EGCG. The tea increases norepinephrine release in the body.
Pros and Cons of Black Tea and Coffee
Pros of Coffee
Even though high caffeinated drinks may have possible side effects on health, the health benefits of drinking coffee have been largely studied. The good news is that the growing evidence supports the idea of drinking 3 to 4 cups of coffee to reap some of the great health benefits of coffee.
Let’s look at the benefits this high-caffeinated beverage can provide to your physical and mental health.
- Helps You Lose Weight and Burn Fat
This might sound bizarre to you, but caffeine is an essential component in almost all fat-burning supplements. It is one of the natural substances that have proven fat-burning qualities. Many studies suggest that coffee boosts the metabolic rate in obese people by 3 to 11 percent.
- Boosts Focus and Concentration
This is, without a doubt, one of the best reasons you should start drinking coffee. It is incredibly great to improve concentration and mental focus. The regular intake of moderate caffeine boosts mental alertness and improves your productivity.
- Lowers Risk of Death
An analysis of combined studies by BMJ (British Medical Journal) in 2017 showed that coffee drinkers enjoy better health benefits and have relatively low death rates as compared to non-drinkers. People who drink coffee are 18 percent less likely to suffer clinical death.
- Reduces Risks of Cancer and Stroke
Coffee has been shown effective in preventing two cancer types including colorectal and liver cancer. The beverage has a sufficient amount of antioxidants that help fight free radicals and reduce the growth of cancerous cells.
- Protects Your Brain and Body
Drinking coffee can reduce the risk associated with medical conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Because coffee is rich in antioxidants, it may prevent brain cell damage while boosting the effects of active neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters play a key role in improving cognitive functions. Moreover, moderate consumption of coffee can decrease the risk of glioma’s incidence- a type of brain cancer.
- Helps Fights Depression
Depression is a mental disorder takes a heavy toll on peoples’ lives. It’s estimated that 4.1 percent of people in the USA suffer from clinical depression.
A 2011 study of Harvard revealed that people who drink 1 - 5 cups of coffee a day tend to have 20 percent lower risk of developing a depressive disorder.
Cons of Coffee
- Bad-Quality Coffee Is Toxic
Bad quality coffee may have impurities that can cause headaches and sickness.
- Leads to Restlessness and Insomnia
Despite coffee’s tons of benefits for improving focus and alertness, it has one pitfall that shouldn’t be ignored. Excessive consumption of coffee may lead to insomnia and restlessness by reducing sleep efficacy and sleep time.
- Not Suitable For Kids
You might not have heard it before, but caffeine is technically considered a drug. It can spike blood pressure or decrease heart rate in kids because they have less caffeine tolerance. Drinking too much coffee at the age of 8 to 12 may disturb the sleep pattern of kids and reduce appetite.
- Risks in Pregnancy
A lot of studies have linked low birth weight of infants with high consumption of caffeine during pregnancy. That is the reason many health care professionals recommend limiting coffee consumption during pregnancy period.
Pros and Cons of Black Tea
Pros of Black Tea
There is no denying that black tea is one of the most consumed beverages and comes with dozens of benefits. With the help of antioxidants and phytonutrients, black tea makes an excellent beverage to flush out harmful toxins from the body.
Some of the significant benefits of black tea include the following.
- Improves Digestion
The healthy gastrointestinal tract serves as a shield from several chronic and detrimental diseases. Drinking black tea, in this regard, can help people improve the quantity as well as the diversity of healthy gut microorganisms.
Medical professionals and researchers believe that the phytonutrients in black tea work as prebiotics and feed good microbes. This helps people increase gut bacteria when they consume black tea. Besides this, black tea can help reduce various types of stomach ulcers and stomach cancers.
- Boosts Mental Alertness
Black tea may be beneficial for you if you have a short attention span. Some Dutch studies have found black tea incredibly advantageous for improving attention span, visual attention, and auditory. As mentioned earlier, the presence of L-theanine in black tea modulates brain function and supports the attention process. The caffeine, along with L-theanine, may boost mental alertness.
- Prevents Dizziness
Black tea has been used for several brain functions including;
- Mental alertness
- Improving memory
- Enhancing learning skills
- Improving comprehension skills
- Headache
In addition to all these benefits, black tea is a great solution to keep lethargies and dizziness at bay. The active phytonutrient and caffeine keep your brain focused and improve concentration.
- Lowers Bad Cholesterol
Unhealthy food habits and a sedentary lifestyle are some of the common reasons for an increase in bad cholesterol levels, which are low-density lipoproteins. It is often referred to as "bad cholesterol" because it contains a high level of LDL. That may lead to artery blockage due to excessive build-up of cholesterol in the arteries. A high level of blood flow can also increase the risks of stroke, heart attack, and ischemic attack.
Growing evidence has shown that black tea has high anti- hypercholesterolemic properties that can help obese people and heart patients reduce LDL levels by 11.1 percent in blood.
- Treats Headaches
Black tea can be an easy cure for headaches. Drinking a cup of black tea without any medicine can help you alleviate pain, especially migraines.
Some other benefits of black tea include;
- Strengthened immunity
- The reduced permeability of blood vessels
- Normalized intestinal microflora
- Stimulated metabolism and great cataract prevention
- Increased production of serotonin hormone
Cons of Black Tea
Effects Pre-Existing Disorders
Although black tea has benefits for everyone, it may cause some side effects if you have medical conditions like anxiety, anemia, bleeding problems, bowel syndrome, and high blood pressure. Drinking excessive amounts of black tea can exacerbate the symptoms of these diseases. Plus, people who have sensitive hormones can be affected by black tea consumption.
Causes Psychological Dependence
Since black tea has caffeine content, it may cause addiction if you take more than eight cups a day. Drinking too much may develop its dependence that can be hard to overcome both physically and mentally.
Some other cons may include;
- Low nutrient absorption
- May cause palpitation
- May cause constipation in some cases
Health Benefits of Black Tea
Improves Gut Health
A healthy gut is a healthy gut!
One of the roles of polyphenols in black tea is to avert the growth of harmful microbes present in the gut. The gut microorganism consumes Polyphenols as prebiotic to fuel their growth.
Reduces Blood Pressure
Black tea, with its phytonutrients, can help patients reduce their blood pressure. This benefit of black tea has been tested widely in many countries, including the UK, Germany, Netherland, and Germany. Researchers check the diastolic and systolic pressures of patients after one week of consuming black tea. There was a significant difference in the blood pressure of the participants who drank black tea.
Great for Healthy Digestion
Drinking black tea is a natural way to soothe aching stomach or to keep it healthy. Black tea can help you treat or relieve diarrhea. A study has shown that black tea inhibits the viability of bacterial bacteria and can lower diarrheal prevalence by 20 percent.
Reduces Parkinson’s Risk
The neurodegenerative disease Parkinson’s is common in older people. Unfortunately, due to the stress, genetic mutation, and an unhealthy lifestyle, the neurodegenerative disease has started showing its impacts on the younger generation. A study published by The National University of Singapore suggests that polyphenols in black tea may help prevent the disease with its neuroprotective effects on the brain.
Lowers Cholesterol
As mentioned previously, LDL cholesterol can limit the blood flow by building up plaque in the arterial walls. The high percentage of LDL cholesterol can cause a heart attack, especially in people susceptible to heart diseases. Black tea is a healthy and natural solution that reduces LDL levels with its hypercholesterolemic effects.
Relieves Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer's is a common type of mental disorder dementia. The disorder affects the thinking process and behavior patterns. It also affects learning ability and memory. Although the fact that black tea reduces the risks of Alzheimer's still needs solid scientific researches, several anecdotal evidence claims that natural beverages can reduce the symptoms associated with a memory disorder.
Promotes Good Skin Health
Black tea can be a beauty remedy for your skin as it benefits the skin in a number of ways such as;
- It helps fight skin infections
- It helps remove blemishes
- It helps cure puffiness
- It helps delay aging
Last but not least, black tea rejuvenates skin cells as it has dozens of tannins and polyphenols. They prevent skin infections by improving microbial colonization and expediting the healing process. Polyphenols, moreover, protects skin from wrinkle formation and premature aging. Many studies have shown black tea as an effective anti-wrinkle agent.
Relieves Asthma
Asthma is a common medical condition of bronchial tubes in which airways swell or suffer inflammation while inhaling and exhaling. Some recent studies have shown caffeine present in black tea improves lung function. Plus, the flavonoids in black tea are beneficial for asthma patients.
Eliminates Free Radicals
External influence (smoking and pollution) and metabolism are the major reasons of free radicals production. These free radicals, when exceeding in quantity in the body, become toxic for bodily functions. The antioxidants in black tea can scavenge harmful radicals. The natural beverage reinforces the flush-out function of toxic molecules in the body.
Relieves Stress
Relieving stress is imperative to keep yourself get going, and motivated, and black tea, without a doubt, can help you de-stress. A study published by University College London, black tea is only effective to reduce stress but also relax the nerves. Black tea is a great solution alternative to smoking or tobacco.
For Good Oral Health
Switching to black tea is an ideal cure-all to prevent cavities. The natural beverage can protect your teeth from dental plaque, tooth decay, and oral diseases. Plus, black tea can freshen breath if you have a bad breath problem. The antioxidant and antibacterial properties in black tea inhibit staphylococcus infections.
How Black Tea is Healthier than Coffee
Hydrates Your Body
While coffee has the same health benefit, the black tea generally has some more added advantages when it comes to the hydrating body. Black tea is pure H2O and includes delicious tea flavor, making it an easy drink to replenish your fluid intake that is lost through perspiration. This property makes it a fantastic way to keep your skin hydrated.
Prevents the Development of Cancers and Tumors
Many studies link black tea benefits to reduce the risks of developing certain types of cancers. The same health benefits of black tea were mentioned by famous Chinese emperor Shennong five thousand years ago.
Keeps You Going On For Longer
As we have mentioned that the tea contains less caffeine as compared to coffee in one serving. Caffeine is a stimulant and can have heavy, depressing effects by reducing energy levels sometimes. There is no such risk in drinking black tea; it does not give you a high rush of caffeine but keeps you mentally active and alert for a longer period.
More Antioxidants in Tea
Antioxidants play an important role in keeping you fresh and healthy. By choosing black tea over coffee, you can have an abundance of them. You can fulfill the daily requirements of antioxidants that your body needs just by having 3 to 4 cups of black tea a day. They make you look fresh, feel great, and strengthen your immunity.
Strengthens Immunity
Do you often suffer from the symptoms of flu or other viral diseases? If you find taking medicines hectic, adding black tea to your diet regimen may help you improve your immunity. It is not much different from turning on a security software in your body system. You might not find it helpful when you are already infected, but it will surely help you prevent infection the next time.
Conclusion
If you are trying to reduce your caffeine intake, tea is a better alternative to coffee. Since high levels of caffeine can lead to various health problems, it is a great idea to replace your daily coffee intake with tea to benefit from the many health benefits of tea.
Black tea is not only an energy booster but comes with some additional benefits. It has phytonutrients and antioxidants that make it an all-cure beverage. From improving heart health, enhancing mental alertness, a defense mechanism to reducing blood pressure, cancer risk, diabetes, dementia, and several other detrimental disorders, black tea is a fantastic natural healer.
The low quantity of caffeine is what makes it a better choice than coffee. Consuming excessive caffeine may lead to its addiction and cause you possible withdrawal symptoms such as headaches. Plus, black tea is great to revive the water level in the body that increases urine flow and prevent kidney stones.
Thus, coffee, if consumed in moderate amounts, has many benefits, but black tea makes a better and healthy choice.
You can purchase Pleasure Chai here.
Sources
https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-benefits-drinking-tea-over-coffee.html
https://www.stylecraze.com/articles/amazing-benefits-of-black-tea-for-skin-hair-and-health/#gref