The Health Benefits of English Breakfast Tea
The humble cuppa is the nation's favourite drink, with over 165 MILLION cups of tea being drunk every day in the UK. But did you know that, aside from being tasty, warming and satisfying, tea also brings with it an array of scientifically-proved, evidence-based health benefits? Read on to discover just some of them...
A recent study carried out by researchers at University College London found that drinking tea can help reduce the body's levels of cortisol, the 'stress hormone' that contributes to the accumulation of fat and accelerates skin ageing. The results of the study, which were published in the authoritative Psychopharmacology journal, showed that tea drinkers were able to de-stress much faster than people in the control group who were given a fake tea substitute.&
In a Boston University School of Medicine study of 70 people with blocked coronary arteries who drank English Breakfast Tea in place of other beverages for four weeks, results showed that their blood vessel functioning improved by as much as 50%. The researchers concluded that flavonoids (plant compounds found naturally in tea) were acting as antioxidants, preventing the formation of plaque in artery walls and thus reducing the risk of strokes and heart attacks.
Black teas such as English breakfast tea may help in the fight against cancer. Researchers at Rutgers University in the USA identified a compound called TF-2 that is found in English Breakfast Tea; the compound causes cancer cells to destroy themselves without harming normal cells. TF-2 was also found to supress Cox 2, a gene that is associated with colon cancer.
Drinking tea can help to lower levels of damaging cholesterol, according to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition. The study was conducted on 15 people over three weeks and found that drinking five servings of black tea each day lowered cholesterol levels by an average of 6.5%.
So, next time you're at Jack's Ovens for your breakfast or lunch, wash it down with a hot and tasty cup of English breakfast tea! Check out our menu on the website.