Black tea vs green tea, which tea is healthier? Actually, black tea vs green tea give equal health benefits because of their polyphenols. Black and green teas are from the same plant named Camellia Sinensis plant and its leaves are processed as tea drinks either by crushing or fermenting. There is another popular tea, the oolong tea. They can also be decaffeinated although the polyphenols present are never lost during the process.

Polyphenols are known to be “lifespan essentials” because they prolong life by preventing certain diseases to develop. Tea has been found to contain great amount of polyphenols. These are antioxidants from plant foods that work in the body to enhance health in complex ways, and tea contain an important polyphenol called flavonoids. The health benefits of flavonoids in green and black tea have been widely researched.

Flavonoids in Black Tea

The following are the benefits that black tea flavonoids provide:

• Reduce risk of stroke. The Netherlands National Institute of Public Health and the Environment in their 15 year research on foods high in flavonoids found that 75% of the flavonoids (the phythonutrients with antioxidant benefits) come from black tea. This study of 552 men showed a reduced production of bad cholesterol (LDL) which causes stroke and cardiac arrest. The findings also showed that men who drank more than four cups of black tea have less incidence of stroke than those who drank two to three cups daily.
• Improve functions of the blood vessels. Dr. Joseph Vita at Boston’s School of Medicine in his related study on the effects of flavonoids to the circulatory system found that transportation of blood within the body, often in and out of the heart improves within two hours of drinking just a cup of black tea.
• Reduces the risk of coronary heart disorders. In a study of over 3,000 adults in Saudi Arabia, fifty percent of the subjects who regularly consume brewed black tea has shown lower risk of coronary heart diseases.

Flavonoids in Green Tea

As mentioned earlier, the green variety of tea has similar health benefits with black tea in reducing risks of atherosclerosis, particularly coronary artery disease. Researchers found out that men who regularly drink green teas have lower total cholesterol and increased HDL or good cholesterol. The polyphenols in this type of tea act as blocker so that the cholesterol will not be absorbed by the intestines and will be excreted from the body. However, a significant number of researches pointed to antioxidants in tea to help lower risks of various types of cancer. Polyphenols inhibit cancerous cells from developing and stop their progression. However, it must be noted that both green and black tea extracts also stimulated genes . This means that it can cause cells to be less sensitive to chemotherapy drugs. Therefore, patients on chemotherapy must avoid this type of tea .

• Bladder. In a research of people with and without bladder cancer, it was found out that women who consumed this tea were at less risk of developing cancer. A similar study on men with bladder cancer revealed that men who drank this tea had better survival rate of 5 years than those who didn’t.
• Breast. A study of 472 women with various stages of cancer showed that women who consumed the most of the green variety of tea experienced less spread of cancer. Those diagnosed with early stage of cancer and consumed five cups of tea or more were less likely to have recurrences after treatment.
• Ovary. In a clinical study in China with women suffering from ovarian cancer, it was found out that those who drank at least a cup of this tea type daily had significantly survived longer with the disease than those who did not drink at all.
• Colorectal. Some studies showed that women who consumed green tea regularly reduced the risk of colorectal cancer in women.
• Lungs.  A population-based research in Okinawan tea, which is similar to the green variety, revealed lower risk of developing lung cancer among women.
• Pancreas. Green tea drinkers and non-drinkers were compared in a large-scale clinical study and researchers discovered that women who drank green tea were less likely to have pancreatic cancer than those who did not drink. Men too were 37% less likely to have pancreatic cancer due to drinking this type of tea.
• Prostate. Cancer cells were significantly prevented from growing as seen in test tube studies. A clinical study in China also revealed that risk of prostate cancer were minimized with the increased frequency, duration and quantity of consuming green tea.
• Skin. A  polyphenol in green tea is epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which possesses an anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. Taking green tea may help prevent the onset and growth of skin tumors.
• Stomach.  This type of tea, which is rich in polyphenols, inhibit the development of stomach cancer cells. Recently  two studies that compared green tea drinkers with non-drinkers  found that people who drank tea were about half as likely to develop stomach cancer and gastritis (inflammation of the stomach).

Green tea can also be taken to decrease inflammation associated with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, the two types of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Those with diabetes are also recommended to take a daily dose of green tea. A minimum of 10 cups of green tea per day can reduce risk of liver disorders. Green tea is also perfect for those wanting to lose some pounds.