4 Reasons to Drink Tea

October 6, 2015

 

Need an afternoon pick-me-up? How about a hot cup of tea? Not only is it a perfect choice for a crisp fall day (and easy on a dancer’s budget), but it offers a host of potential health benefits. A recent analysis of many studies on tea and health by The New York Times revealed several benefits that you may not be aware of. Here’s a breakdown of a few notable points:

  • Tea is linked to a lower risk of depression. An analysis of a group of studies with nearly 23,000 participants found that those who had three cups daily lowered their risk of depression by 37 percent.
  • Tea drinkers are less likely to have several types of liver conditions, including cirrhosis and liver disease.
  • Multiple cups daily may also reduce the risk of cardiac death, stroke, heart disease and overall mortality.

It’s important to note that most of the studies analyzed were conducted in Asia, where tea-drinkers tend to be more prevalent than the U.S. However, drinking tea doesn’t seem to pose any health dangers. If you’re especially sensitive to caffeine, you may want to ditch coffee for tea, which has less caffeine per cup (green tea has about 55 mg per cup compared to coffee’s 128–185 mg). You’ll still get a little pep in your step, but won’t have to worry about feeling jittery or crashing mid-class.