10 Benefits of black tea and side effects

Discover the 10 health benefits of drinking black tea.

Black tea is rich in antioxidants and compounds that help reduce inflammation in the body, as well as being one of the most widely consumed beverages worldwide.

Thanks to its properties, it has been found to provide various health benefits such as helping to improve digestion, lose weight, and control diabetes.

The difference between green and black tea is how the leaves are treated since both come from the same plant called  Camellia sinensis, however, in green tea, the leaves are cooler and are exposed to a little heat, while in black tea these are oxidized and fermented, which makes its flavor more intense and slightly alters its medicinal properties.

Benefits of drinking black tea

1. Prevent premature aging

Black tea is rich in antioxidants that prevent excessive oxidation and act benefiting all cells, allowing better cellular oxygenation, keeping cells healthy for longer.

2.e Black tea for  digestion

Black tea is a good option when you have a full stomach, as it acts directly on the digestive system, facilitating digestion and purifying the body.

3. Benefits of drinking black tea for weight loss

Consuming a cup of black tea regularly for at least 3 months may help decrease your appetite and the urge to eat sweets, thus promoting weight loss and shaping your waistline.

It is believed that this property could be due to its high antioxidant power derived from the flavones that this type of tea contains.

By reducing your appetite, black tea helps speed up your metabolism, so it is important to eat a balanced diet with little fat and sugar, and rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, and fish.

It is also essential to practice some type of physical activity, such as walking 30 minutes a day.

4. Benefits of drinking black tea for diabetes

Black tea has a hypoglycemic action, being good support in case of diabetes or prediabetes, due to the healing effect it has on the β cells of the pancreas.

5. Black tea for pregnancy

The regular intake of 2 cups of black tea a day increases the chances of a woman becoming pregnant with each menstrual cycle.

Thus, when the couple has plans to have a child, it is recommended that the woman consume black tea regularly.

6. Benefits of black tea for skin

Apply black tea on the skin and a good way to fight acne and oiliness of the skin.

It is enough to prepare the tea and when it is warm apply with gauze or cotton directly on the area you want to treat. Leave on for a few minutes and wash your face afterward.

7. Lower cholesterol

Black tea extract promotes an increase in cholesterol metabolism, probably by inhibiting the reabsorption of bile acids and can be used in the prevention of metabolic syndrome.

8. Prevent atherosclerosis and heart attack plaques

Black tea is rich in flavonoids, known to protect the cardiovascular system, as they prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, responsible for the formation of atheromatous plaques, which increase the risk of thrombosis.

9. Keep the brain alert

Another benefit of black tea is keeping the brain alert because this tea has caffeine and L-Theanine that improve cognitive performance and increase alertness, making it a good choice for breakfast or after lunch. Its effect can be noticed around 30 minutes after its ingestion.

10. Black tea for cancer

Due to the presence of catechins, black tea also helps prevent and fight cancer. It is also believed that this may occur due to the protective effect of cell DNA, and the induction of apoptosis of tumor cells.

How to make black tea

To take advantage of all the benefits of black tea, follow the steps in the following recipe:

Ingredients:

1 black tea bag or 1 teaspoon of black tea;

1 cup of boiling water.

Preparation method:

Add the black tea bag or leaves to the cup of boiling gua, cover, and let steep for at least 5 minutes. Strain and drink warm, sweetened or not.

Those people who have insomnia can consume black tea with the difference that it is left in infusion for about 10 minutes, making its flavor more intense without disturbing sleep.

Black tea prepared with less than 5 minutes of infusion, has the opposite effect since it keeps the brain more active so when it is prepared in this way it should be avoided until after 19 hours.

To make the taste mild, you can add a little warm milk or half a squeezed lemon.

Side effects of black tea

Drinking too much black tea, such as excess than five cups per day, is POSSIBLY UNSAFE.

Elevated amounts of black tea can cause side effects due to the caffeine in black tea.

These side effects can range from mild to serious and include headache, nervousness, sleep problems, vomiting, diarrhea, irritability, irregular heartbeat, tremor, heartburn, dizziness, ringing in the ears, convulsions, and confusion.

Furthermore, people who drink black tea or other caffeinated beverages all the time, especially in large amounts, can develop psychological dependence.

Drinking very high amounts of black tea containing more than 10 grams of caffeine is LIKELY UNSAFE. Doses of black tea this high might cause death or other severe side effects.

Contraindications

The intake of black tea is not recommended in children under 12 years of age or babies