BENEFITS OF BLACK TEA FOR YOUR HEALTH AND GUT HEALTH
Tea falls in the second place as the most consumed beverage in the world after water; therefore, you are quite likely to have consumed a cup of tea in your life. It is a favorite drink due to the benefits it provides. Loaded with polyphenols, tannins, antioxidants, definitely makes tea a healthy beverage for you. There are several varieties of tea that people consume today. Black tea is one of the types of tea and by far the most popular. Black tea has been linked with several health benefits and even as an anti-aging food. Well, that is just the tip of the iceberg. There is more to the health benefits provided by black tea, especially for your heart and gut. Before getting to the benefits, let’s explore on some of the facts about black tea.
What is black tea?
Like white tea and green tea, black tea is “true tea.” It means it comes from the leaves of the Camellia Sinensis plant. What brings the difference between these varieties of tea, is the way the leaves are processed. For the black tea, the leaves first have to wither after harvesting to reduce the moisture content in the leaves. The withered leaves are rolled by either using a machine or by hand to break the leaves’ cell walls. Through this, the enzymes in the leaves are thereby exposed to oxygen to allow oxidation process to take place.
The oxidation process may go up to four hours leading to the formation of two components namely thearubigins and theaflavins. The two components have a common name known as flavonoids, and they are the ones responsible for the distinctive color and taste of the black tea. The two substances also play a significant role in the potential benefits of the black tea. After the formation of flavonoids, the next step is drying the leaves using high heat processes such as firing or baking. Lastly, it’s sorted and packed.
What does black tea do for your heart and gut health?
Here, you will get to know how beneficial back tea is to the health of your heart and gut. With every sip of black tea, your body gets warm; however, that is not the only benefit that you get. Here are other impressive health benefits for your gut and heart.
Benefits to your heart health
- Boosts heart health
Black tea contains a group of antioxidants known as flavonoids. Consuming these antioxidants on a regular basis helps to reduce the many risk factors for heart diseases. These include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, and elevated levels of triglyceride. Studies show that drinking black tea for twelve weeks helps to decrease triglyceride by 35%, lower the LDL/HDL ratio by 16%, reduce the risk of getting heart diseases by 11%, and reduce blood sugar levels by 17%. Generally, the health of your heart is significantly boosted.
- Reduces blood pressure
High blood pressure is a common disease that affects many people in the world. Elevated pressure of the blood exposes you to other complications such as heart attacks, heart failure, stroke, and vision loss. Black tea helps you to reduce the pressure levels of the blood by decreasing the diastolic and systolic blood pressure.
- Lowers “bad” cholesterol
High levels of cholesterol generally are bad for your body. The “bad” cholesterol known as low-density lipoprotein exposes you to heart attacks. It’s because it transports cholesterol to cells in the entire body not forgetting your heart. Taking five servings in a day of the black tea helps to reduce the low-density lipoprotein by 11%. This is an excellent amount for individuals with elevated cholesterol levels.
Benefits to your gut health
- Improves your gut health
Your gut houses billions of bacteria. However, some of these bacteria are harmful to your health. All the types of bacteria in your gut play a significant role in reducing the risk of contracting certain health conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and inflammatory bowel disease. The big question is how to deal with these harmful bacteria. One of these harmful bacteria is salmonella.
Black tea contains polyphenols properties that inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria while promoting the growth of good bacteria. Moreover, the antimicrobial properties in black tea help to eliminate the harmful substances in the gut while improving your gut immunity by repairing the lining of the digestive tract. Black tea behaves as prebiotic since its molecules remain in the intestines to support the growth of good bacteria. The black tea molecules stay in the intestines since its molecules are too large to undergo absorption directly into the bloodstream.
Well, all that is what black tea offers to your heart and health. There are also other benefits it provides such as helping to fight cancer. It is an excellent option for individuals looking for non-sweetened and low-calorie beverage with little caffeine. Best of all, making black tea is simple, and you can quickly find it in many stores around you. Don’t be left behind, grab your cup of black tea and reap the numerous health benefits it offers.
