Health Benefits of Tea

Over the past month I have done several presentations on the Health Benefits of Tea. The presentation was created by my colleague, Sherri Cirignano. Here are a few facts that might be of interest about tea:

• Black tea, green tea, white tea and oolong tea all come from the same bush called camellia sinesis. The difference between the types of tea is the processing method. Tea leaves harvested when the leaf is you will be white tea, green tea requires a more mature leaf, oolong requires an even more mature leaf, and black tea is the most mature leaf.
  
• Beverages commonly known as herbal teas, but actually called tisane, contain an infusion of leaves or flowers, and do not contain tea leaves.
• Tea consumption began 2,000 years ago, and by the 1500's, 50% of the worlds population was drinking tea. Today, worldwide tea consumption is equal to all other beverages combined.
  
• 80% of the tea consumed in the US is served cold or as iced tea.
• 98% of all tea sold is black tea.
• Research on tea show that the following activities are studied: antioxidant, nutrition, protection, and immune enhancement. Proposed health benefits include: cancer prevention, obesity, age-associated, neurodegenerative disease, and diabetes. Additional studies are still needed.
  
• The health benefits of black, green, white and oolong tea are comparable.
• Tea provides these nutrients: energy, and small amount of magnesium/phosphorpus/sodium/potassium/folate.