If you are one of the many people who drinks tea for its hyped health benefits, you might be interested to know that many of the companies marketing bottled teas have been found to be teasing us. As the Toronto Stare reports,
Every time scientists announce a new health benefit from a recently identified compound, food companies ramp up marketing efforts to try to woo consumers. In so many cases, the reality of the situation rarely matches the hype.
The upshot of this article is that, if you want to enjoy the flavor and health benefits of a good cup of tea, you will be far better off brewing your own!
Bottled teas may be refreshing on a hot summer day, but most do not provide the health benefits of a single cup of steeped tea, according to a new study.If you think about it for more than a few seconds, such news should neither be surprising nor shocking. This really is just par for the course!
More than half of 49 bottled teas tested by researchers at a U.S. dietary supplement company contained less than 10 milligrams (mg) of antioxidant polyphenols. A typical cup of steeped tea has 50 to 100 mg. Research has shown a minimum of 125 mg daily is needed to provide health benefits.
“If you wanted to really get a significant amount, you would have to drink 10 bottles — that’s a lot of calories and that’s a ton of caffeine,” said research director Nancy Rawson, chief scientific officer at the New Jersey-based WellGen Inc., a manufacturer of dietary supplements under the brand name TeAme.
Researchers looked at 49 different tea drinks from 18 different brands, according to Rawson. Many of the bottled teas mentioned antioxidant properties on the label; others had websites touting the health benefits of drinking tea.
More than half — 53 per cent — of the teas tested had virtually no polyphenols, or 10 mg or less in an eight-ounce cup, according to researcher Shiming Li. Four samples had between 75 and 95 mg and two had more than 100 mg in an eight-ounce serving. A typical bottle was 16 ounces.
A cup of regular steeped tea contains 50 to 100 mg, depending on the type of tea and how it is prepared.
Every time scientists announce a new health benefit from a recently identified compound, food companies ramp up marketing efforts to try to woo consumers. In so many cases, the reality of the situation rarely matches the hype.
The upshot of this article is that, if you want to enjoy the flavor and health benefits of a good cup of tea, you will be far better off brewing your own!
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