Most people cannot function without either their morning cup ofcoffee or tea. While, it's mostly the caffeine that gets peoplegoing, a side benefit from drinking these beverages is that youmay be boosting your immune system and helping to fight disease.
While the health benefits of drinking green tea have been muchpublicized, few people realize that drinking coffee can havehealth benefits as well but recent studies show that coffee mayshare some of the healthy attributes that green tea has shown.
Like green tea, coffee has antioxidants including quinines,chlorogenic acid and tocopherols as well as essential mineralssuch as magnesium. All of which help in glucose metabolism andresult in those who regularly drink coffee having a reduced riskof diabetes. Both coffee and green tea have been shown tocontain compounds which have antibacterial properties that canhelp prevent tooth decay and may help to fight food poisoning.
Green tea has been shown to have a role in the prevention ofcancer, rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, cataracts,and to help boost your immune system. In addition, green tea mayalso help you lose weight and is said to help lower blood sugarand cholesterol as well as slow the aging process.
Coffee is said to contain compounds that boost the activity ofenzymes which may protect against colon cancer (according toanimal studies published in the Journal of Agricultural and FoodChemistry). Other health benefits of coffee include a reducedrisk of developing Parkinsons Disease, help in relieving asthmasymptoms, stopping tension headaches, and inhibiting theformation of gallstones.
When it comes to the question of how much coffee or tea you needto benefit the answers can be a bit confusing. While mosteveryone agrees that the caffeinated should only be taken insmall amounts (no more than 3 cups of coffee a day) to avoid theaddictive qualities of the caffeine, it's a bit more vague onhow much tea is recommended. Some say 10 cups a day, others sayyou can experience the benefits with 3 cups a day.
About the author:Lee Dobbins writes for Online GourmetFoods where you can find out more about gourmet coffee and tea.
