Tea and cancer prevention 101

Tea’s potential benefits come from antioxidants

Antioxidants neutralize free radicals in your body that can cause inflammation and upset cell function. This is how the antioxidants in tea help you stay healthy.

Most of the research on tea and cancer prevention has focused on the natural antioxidant epigallocatechin-3-gallate, EGCG.

In some studies, ECGC was found to reduce the risk of cancer, particularly bladder cancer. But overall research is too limited to draw strong conclusions.

“Most of the research is pretty inconclusive, especially when it comes to cancer prevention,” says Wohlford. “But because it’s plant-based, tea can be part of a healthy plant-based diet. The antioxidants are beneficial for our health.”

Green tea usually contains the highest amount of EGCG, but all teas contain valuable antioxidants.

While there’s no harm in limiting caffeine, keep in mind that decaffeinated tea has fewer antioxidants. That’s because some of them get removed in the de-caffeinating process.

Herbal teas are not tea, but may still have benefits

Herbal teas are often called tea. But they are not made from the tea plant and are not caffeinated. The proper name for these drinks is Tisane; they include options like chamomile, peppermint and Rooibos.

These drinks may not be true tea, but they can still have health benefits because they also come from plants. For example, some contain the antioxidant L-theanine, which may help reduce stress.

“Infusing leaves from a plant in water is another way to extract nutrients from plants,” says Wohlford. “In most cases they can be used in moderation as part of a healthy diet.”

But if you are on medication or undergoing treatment for cancer or another illness, talk to your doctor about which herbal teas are safe for you.

“There are herbal teas that have ingredients that can be problematic for some people,” says Wohlford. “If you are thinking of using tea for medicinal purposes, talk to you doctor first.”

Pay attention to how you prepare your tea

Some teas lose health benefits if the water they’re seeped in is too hot. For green tea and white tea, you’ll see more health benefits if you use water that is slightly less than boiling. Icing tea does not affect the health benefits.

Hot or cold, tea does not have any calories and can be almost as good for hydration as drinking pure water. But if you add creamer or sweetener to it, that can change.

“If you can drink it plain, that’s ideal. But if you must have a sweetener, use something natural like honey or agave. For milk, you can use unsweetened almond milk or soy milk, or stick to the recommended one tablespoon of low-fat regular milk,” says Wohlford.

 “We cannot say with certainty that tea is a cancer prevention beverage,” she adds, “but it can be part of a healthy diet if you don’t load it with lots of extra calories.”

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