Why not grab a cup of fragrant not-too-hot tea and we’ll wrap up this blog series on Christmas tea and how it can contribute to helping you and yours to stay healthier during the holidays.

We’ve already mentioned in Part 1 of this series how tea can contribute valuable flavonoids to your diet, and then in Part 2 of this series shared some thoughts concerning brewing tea and its caffeine content as well.

Now we’d like to share some other potential health benefits of drinking a not-too-hot cup of freshly steeped tea and mention just some of the supermarket accessible brands of holiday tea offerings.

Did you know that tea you brew (in either loose form or from a tea bag) can help you stay hydrated year round, may contribute to your oral and bone health, potentially help you age better, and possibly even help you lose a little excess weight?

Drinking Tea Can Help You Cope With Drier Winter Indoor Air

During the winter months it can sometimes be more challenging to stay hydrated. If you live in a colder climate, you might not realize that the indoor air heated by the system used to heat your home or work place is typically drier than indoor air at any other time of year. That drier air can easily dry out your skin and mucous membranes, just as a drying wind outdoors can.

Drinking moderate amounts of tea should help you to maintain your hydration level year round. Dietary Reference Intakes: Water, Potassium, Sodium, Chloride, and Sulfate. 2004. Food and Nutrition Board. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Researchers have noted that as long as the caffeine content from tea consumption at one sitting is less than 250 mg, you should be able to benefit from its water content in terms of your own hydration level. EJ Gardner, CHS Ruxon and AR Leeds. Black tea – helpful or harmful? A review of the evidence European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2007) 61, 3–18.

Researchers found that only when people consumed more than 300 mg of caffeine at one time (that would be equivalent to drinking about 6-7 “cups” of a variety of tea(s) at one sitting) should there be any concern for their hydration status. Maughan R, Griffin J (2001). Tea Drinking And Fluid Balance: A Review. Brooke Bond Tea Company: UK.  Ruxton CHS, Hart VA (2011). A randomised cross-over trial to evaluate the impact of black tea on measures of hydration. British Journal of Nutrition106 (4), 588-595.  Ruxton CHS (2012). Promoting and maintaining healthy hydration for patients. Nursing Standard 26, 50-56.

Fluoride In Water Used to Brew Tea Can Aid in Oral & Bone Health

Tea plants tend to grow in more mountainous regions and tend to accumulate fluoride from soil as they grow. It is thought that a combination of the fluoride from the tea plant itself, assisted by the fluoride content of the water the tea is brewed in, combined with the flavonoids (especially catechins) in tea itself may together help to protect your oral health by decreasing cavity risk and thus decreasing tooth loss. Sarkar, S., Sett, P., Chowdhury, T., and Ganguly, D.K. Effect of black tea on teeth. J Indian Soc Pedod Prev Dent 2000;18:139-140.

Similarly, a combination of the fluoride from brewed tea (from both the tea plant parts plus the water), along with the phytoestrogen content of tea may help to increase bone density and thus bone health. That combo could potentially help protect a bit against hip fractures in the elderly. Hegarty VM, May HM, Khaw K-T. Tea drinking and bone mineral density in older women. Am J Clin Nutr 2000;71:1003-7. Habitual Tea Consumption and Risk of Osteoporosis: A Prospective Study in the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Cohort” American Journal of Epidemiology (2003) 158:772–781.

Drinking Tea And Aging More Gracefully

Japanese researchers who conducted a prospective study in Japan starting in 2006 have suggested that the polyphenol content of tea such as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) may potentially reduce the potential for oxygen radical damage to human cellular DNA, thus helping seniors to age better. It also just might be that persons who are more health conscious and consume a higher overall quality of diet, tend to be more active and participate more in community activities may have those habits to thank for enjoying an improved quality of life. Yasutake Tomata et al. Green tea consumption and the risk of incident functional disability in elderly Japanese: the Ohsaki Cohort 2006 Study” Am J Clin Nutr (2012) 95:732-739.

Oolong Tea Consumption and Weight Management

Chinese researchers have proposed the possibility that chronic consumption of oolong tea may reduce both body fat content and body weight in not only elderly overweight or obese individuals, but actually might help prevent the development of obesity in other individuals.

Studies of various tea extracts have been done in the past, but one published Chinese study involved actual use of oolong tea itself with both elderly men and women, as well as evaluating the effectiveness of oolong tea extract and tea catechins on fat digestion in a laboratory. Sensible weight loss of 1-3 kg (remember a kg = 2.2 lbs) over the 6 week study, along with lower levels of total blood cholesterol and total triglycerides in both men and women were promising. Rong-ron He et al. Beneficial effects of oolong tea consumption on diet-induced overweight and obese subjects. Chin J Integr Med (2009) 15-34-41.

National Cancer Institute Stance on Tea

After reviewing numerous studies, the National Cancer Institute issued its stance indicating it “does not recommend for or against the use of tea to reduce the risk of any type of cancer.” Note that back in May 2012 in our Part 4 of 4 blog post on Beyond Watchful Waiting (Food, Nutrition and Prostate Cancer) we mentioned that soy with its isoflavone content, combined with green tea catechins may have a positive synergistic interaction and that might play a role in potentially decreasing PSA levels. Research continues to investigate this potential.

There Are Many Potential Health Benefits and Flavor Options When It Comes to Tea

Moderate consumption of tea holds promise for a host of potential health benefits for many individuals.

Why not take the opportunity to learn more about the many varieties of tea? Whether sold loose or in bags, lots of brewable tea options are available right now. Some of those products will actually only be featured in a wider range of stores or tea shops/tea rooms or restaurants, etc., specifically for the holiday season.

Time to get out a real tea pot with a built-in strainer or else a large tea ball for brewing some flavorful tea this Fall & coming Winter!

Enjoy the holidays and hopefully enjoy a cup of tea as well!

Do you have a favorite type of black or green tea and a favorite purveyor you use? Feel free to share your suggestions with family, friends, and if you wish, here as well.

FYI Listing of Some Potential “Holiday Tea” Offerings

Two very well known tea brands that have what might be thought of as holiday “tea” offerings include the following, which are only mentioned as examples. We do not endorse any products whatsoever. These are only being mentioned for infotainment purposes only.

The following holiday theme “tea” products may be readily available in your area or via mail order, etc. Note that some of the products are actually tisanes (non-tea leaf based herbal blends) and are noted as same.

If you would like to peruse a much more extensive list of tea sources, please see the Culinary Tea Sources section of Cynthia Gold’s book “Culinary Tea: More Than 150 Recipes Steeped in Tradition from Around the World” which we mentioned in a blog post back in February 2012.

• Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane is a Decaffeinated Green Tea blend (Peppermind, Decaffeinated Green tea, Orange Peel, Natural Vanilla and Mint Flavors with Other Natural Flavors, Cinnamon, Milk Thistle, Blackberry Leaves, Roasted Carob, Roasted Chicory and Vanilla Bean)
• Celestial Seasonings Nutcracker Sweet (Black Tea, Natural Vanilla Extract with Other Natural Flavors and Cinnamon.)

Celestial Seasonings Collection of “Holiday Tisanes” (“herbal infusion blends”) with no real Camellia senesis tea leaves)

• Celestial Seasonings Gingerbread Spice (Cinnamon, Ginger, Roasted Chicory, Roasted Barley, Natural Flavors (Contains Soy Lecithin) and Luo Han Guo)
• Celestial Seasonings Sugar Plum Spice Hibiscus, Roasted Barley, Roasted Chicory, Rosehips, Chamomile, Natural Plum and Cinnamon Flavors with Other Natural Flavors, Ginger, Roasted Carob and Cardamom.
• Celestial Seasonings Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride (contains gluten)(Milk Thistle, Roasted Barley, Orange Peel, Natural Sugar Cookie Flavor with Other Natural Flavors and Vanilla Bean)

✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳

Stash Collection of  “Holiday Teas”

• Stash Chai Spice Decaf Black Tea (naturally decaffeinated black tea, cinnamon, ginger root, natural cinnamon flavor, clove oil, allspice, clove, nutmeg, cardamom oil)
• Stash Chocolate Hazelnut Decaf Black Tea (naturally decaffeinated black tea, natural chocolate flavor, natural vanilla nut flavor, natural hazelnut flavor)
• Stash Christmas Morning (Black Tea blend of Fine Assam, Ceylon, Sumatra, Jasmine, and Keemun Teas)
• Stash Double Spice Chai black Tea (blended black teas, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, coriander seed, ginger root, natural cinnamon flavor, clove oil, cardamom oil)
• Stash Holiday Chai (Blended Black Teas, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger Root, Allspice, Clove, Gingerbread, Rum, and Nutmeg Flavors)
• Stash Organic Merry Mint (Green Tea)
• Stash White Christmas (White Tea, Peppermint, Ginger Root)

Stash Collection of “Holiday Tisanes” (“herbal infusion blends”) with no real Camellia senesis tea leaves)

• Stash Christmas Eve (Herbal Tea) w/ Cinnamon, Orange Peel, Spearmint, Vanilla Extract, Orange Oil, and Natural Flavors of Cinnamon and Clove

Please remember that this site only offers infotainment and you are always urged to contact your own health care provider to discuss options when it comes to your unique personal health status and how your personal dietary choices may impact your health.

*In developing this 3 part blog series, we would like to particularly acknowledge access to information available through the Tea Association of the USA, including their 2010 Tea Fact Sheet as well as TEA AND HEALTH (An Overview of Research on the Potential Health Benefits of Tea) developed by Maggie Moon, MS, RD of Pollock Communications for that tea association; and through Tea Time: The Health Benefits of Tea (Online Learning Module SKU 6500) of Food & Nutrition Magazine, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, developed by Victoria Shanta Retelny, RD, LDN and Neva Cochran MS, RD, LD as an adjunct Continuing Professional Education (CPE) module to the Summer 2012 (Volume 1, Issue 2) of Food & Nutrition Magazine  Tea Time feature story authored by Joanna Pruess and Neva Cochran MS, RD, LD; as well as the National Headache Foundation Clinical Update: Caffeine and Headache module.

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