Health, Culture, and Society @ Broome

Diluting the Benefits of Tea
(NYT, Oct 1)


Tea is getting a lot of good press these days. Many studies have linked regular tea drinking to a lowered risk of cancer, heart disease and hypertension. But where health is concerned, all teas are not created equal.

Many consumers who’ve taken to popular bottled teas and the hot chai served at coffee houses have the mistaken notion that they are low-calorie and good for you, noted Lisa R. Young, a nutritionist at New York University. But a 16-ounce bottle of the popular Arizona Green Tea with Ginseng and Honey, for instance, contains 140 calories and 34 grams of sugar. (By comparison, a similar amount of Coke has 194 calories and 54 grams of sugar.) A grande Tazo chai tea latte at Starbucks packs 240 calories and 41 grams of sugar.

“I see so many educated people who, when I tell them it has calories, look at me and say, ‘It does?’” said Dr. Young. “These are people who wouldn’t get the whole milk cappuccino, but they get the venti chai because it’s only tea.'’

The health benefits of tea have been observed mostly in populations regularly consuming simple brewed teas, usually around three cups per person per day, according to Harvard Women’s Health Watch. Traditionally made tea is loaded with antioxidants that fight heart disease and cancer, the newsletter notes. Instant teas and bottled, decaffeinated preparations contain fewer of the compounds that make unadulterated teas so good for you.