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Which is better - tea or coffee?

Which drink is more useful: tea or coffee? Publications that scientists have again proven the benefits of coffee or tea regularly appear on the Internet. Such news always has a lot of readers. This is understandable, because both tea and coffee are loved by millions of people. Anyone who pours himself a cup of aromatic drink is pleased to know that he is not only enjoying the taste, but also doing something good for the health.

Let’s find out how seriously it is worth taking the next news both about the benefits of tea or coffee, and about the dangers of these drinks.

Which component makes tea and coffee attractive?

Of course, we choose drinks according to taste and aroma. But there is one component that does not have its own taste, but makes both coffee and tea equally desirable. It's caffeine.

What is caffeine? In nature, this alkaloid is poison that helps plants fight pests. If insects begin to gnaw on the leaves of a tea bush or coffee tree, they will be in danger. And very soon they will simply burst: they will not endure the rise in pressure caused by caffeine. And the leaves will remain intact.

But, as elsewhere in nature, only the dose distinguishes a poison from a beneficial additive. And people love the stimulating effects of caffeinated drinks. But one, of course, should keep in mind that an overdose of this substance should be prevented.

However, caffeine is not a stimulant at all. And how does caffeine work?

    Caffeine works like this:
  • When we are tired, adenosine accumulates in the body. This substance must connect with special adenosine receptors, and the brain will receive a command: stop being active, it's time to turn on the rest mode. This will make us feel sleepy and want to lie down.
  • Caffeine "sits down" on the receptors and does not allow adenosine to join. This happens after we have had a cup of coffee. Both substances are very similar, so caffeine easily binds to receptors that should store adenosine. And that's it, the place is occupied. As a result, a tired body does not receive a signal that it is time to rest, and we do not feel sleepy and drowsy, but continue to be active.
  • After a certain time, caffeine releases the receptors. The connection turns out to be unstable, because the configuration of the molecules of caffeine and adenosine, although similar, is still different. Therefore, after a few hours, the receptors are free again.
  • Adenosine takes its rightful place. During those hours while caffeine worked, the body did not rest. So it continued to produce adenosine. Now all of its accumulated reserves are connected to the released receptors and a feeling of fatigue rolls over us. The transition can be quite abrupt - sometimes you want to immediately lie down and fall asleep.

Expert’s opinion. “I think that some people experienced this effect on themselves when coffee postponed the inevitable for a while, and then the person was knocked out. So if you give an analogy with the pedals of a car, one can say that caffeine is not a gas. This is a brick under the brake. Moreover, the brick is made of snow, and over time it will melt.”

How does the effect of caffeine from tea and coffee differ?

We do not brew greens that have just been plucked from a bush. In order for tea leaves to end up in our cup, they must first go through a fermentation process. The type of drink depends on its duration: we consistently get white tea, green tea, oolong tea, black tea and pu-erh.

In the first, the caffeine content will be minimal, but at the same time a large amount of polyphenols will remain - it is these substances that determine the taste and aroma of the drink. And the latter contains a minimum of polyphenols, but there is almost as much caffeine in it as in an equal amount of ground coffee.

Therefore, people who prefer stronger hot drinks are more likely to choose pu-erh. And those who avoid strong stimulating effects will brew white or green tea. As a result, pu-erh drinkers will receive a higher dose of caffeine than white tea connoisseurs, and will feel the effects of this alkaloid more strongly.

In addition, tea contains an amino acid that is not found in coffee. It's L-theanine. And most often, the caffeine in tea forms a strong bond with it. And once in our body, it begins to be released from this compound, but slowly. Therefore, after a cup of tea, the level of caffeine in the blood rises gradually. If you drink coffee, it will jump up quickly.

Such biochemical nuances allow us to say that coffee is a harsher way of consuming caffeine. And the tea is softer. That is, if we need to quickly remove signs of fatigue, we can brew coffee. When we want a gradual effect - we are making tea.

Is there any scientific evidence for the benefits of tea and coffee?

We see reports of allegedly sensational discoveries on this subject almost every day. Let's figure out what is hidden behind the loud headlines.

The benefits of tea are greatly exaggerated by advertising

There is no doubt that this drink is capable of, if not curing, then preventing the appearance of many diseases. But for some reason, we see few scientifically confirmed facts of the therapeutic or preventive effect of tea. In the media, they are replaced by emotions.

But some facts about the benefits of this drink are still considered proven.

For example, scientists have studied the effects of tea on people with cardiovascular disease. In 2001, they analyzed the condition of more than half a million people and received a lot of different data. But only one fact was definitely recorded. It turned out that people who regularly drank three cups of tea a day for many years were 10% less likely to have a myocardial infarction (heart attack) than those who did not drink tea at all.

There is still no answer why there was such an effect, and the question remains open. According to all the rules of evidence-based medicine, such studies have not yet been conducted on control groups.

There is also little evidence for the health benefits of coffee

There are also enough messages about the healing properties of this aromatic drink. But then again, there are few reliable facts in them.

Here is one of the proven statements. Scientists analyzed data from 12 different studies in 2021, in which more than 500 thousand people participated. And they recorded only one indisputable positive effect: people who regularly drink coffee have less mortality in chronic kidney disease.

All other data do not show a clear causal relationship between, for example, the love of coffee and the occurrence of multiple sclerosis or any other disease.

What can be said for sure: both tea and coffee bring pleasure and cheer up the connoisseurs. And this effect is at least pleasant.

Are there any facts confirming the harm of tea and coffee?

Researchers have evidence that coffee or tea can harm the body. But the dosage is important here.

Green tea extract can harm the liver

In this paragraph, we will focus specifically on the extract - that is, a preparation with an increased concentration of all the substances contained in tea. Sometimes it is offered in the form of dietary supplements tablets.

Interestingly, green tea extract has been widely touted as a weight loss miracle all over the world. But it turns out that the concentration in the tablets, which allows you to lose weight, is dangerous for the liver. Doctors have recorded a huge number of medicinal hepatitis, which are caused by these "natural and useful" drugs. Therefore, it is absolutely not worth it to lose weight in this way.

But do not be afraid of tea: a regular cup of the drink does not threaten the health of the liver.

Coffee can cause high blood pressure and heart palpitations

It is known that caffeine dilates the vessels of the skeletal muscles, kidneys and heart. It's good for the body. But besides this, caffeine affects the adrenal glands. As a result, they release adrenaline and norepinephrine into the blood - hormones that increase blood pressure.

The indicators are not growing critically: an average of 8 mmHg. The “white coat effect” known to doctors leads to a more significant jump - up to 30 mmHg. It is due to the fact that the patient at the doctor's appointment is worried, and therefore his blood pressure can be much higher than at home.

It turns out that, on average, a cup of coffee affects blood pressure less than a visit to the doctor. Therefore, for most people there is no reason to be afraid of this drink. But in some cases, the body can react much stronger and the pressure jump will be higher. In addition, a serving of coffee can increase the number of heartbeats. This means that the myocardium will need more oxygen.

The conclusion is simple: you should always monitor your well-being. Especially for people who need to take care of the cardiovascular system. It is important for them not to exceed the safe daily dose of caffeine - it is 500 mg. The amount recommended by doctors is even lower: up to 400 mg per day. Of course, this dose should not be consumed at one time.

A standard cup of brewed coffee has about 95 mg of caffeine, while a serving of instant coffee has 82 mg. Perhaps some people should generally limit themselves to one cup of coffee a day.

What to choose - tea or coffee?

It is determined by our taste buds which drink to prefer. They are genetically programmed, so there are people who will choose coffee in any situation. And there are those who always brew tea for themselves.

It is worth choosing a drink paying attention to its taste and your well-being. Then a tea party or a coffee break will be both pleasant and useful.

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