The Almost Most Popular Drink in the World: You Won't Believe What It Does to Your Body

Winter days are coming, bringing tea back to our cold hands. How beneficial is it for our health, and what is the difference between an infusion and tea? Read and learn.

"After water, tea is the most common beverage in the world. Some nations drink only tea," begins Dr. Olga Raz, head of the clinical nutrition department at Ariel University, in a conversation with Channel 7. According to her, in recent years, tea has become a favorite drink for Israelis, and unlike in the past, different types of the beverage can now be purchased.

Various studies show that tea has many health benefits, such as reducing the risk of cardiovascular and heart diseases, lowering cholesterol levels and blood pressure, due to its content of phytochemicals, meaning many plant-based compounds found in many tea leaves, including polyphenols - catechins characterized as antioxidants, or strong anti-oxidants.

"Tea also contains flavonoids," explained Dr. Raz, "such as quercetin, myricetin, and others, which help lower the risk of diseases. Most studies were done in cell cultures and animals, but there are also epidemiological studies on large populations examining the association between tea consumption and disease risk in humans."

And what about the difference between tea and an infusion? Well, Dr. Raz noted that contrary to popular belief, not every infusion is considered tea. It is very important to distinguish between tea and herbal infusions, which do not contain these substances, and therefore are not truly tea, and contain different types of compounds.

Additionally, according to Dr. Raz, there is a difference between coffee and tea, with the amount of caffeine found in a cup of tea being less than that in a cup of coffee. Moreover, according to research conducted in recent years, not only is there no danger in drinking tea and coffee, but on the contrary, both have been found to have a positive and beneficial impact on health, and even help meet the required fluid intake.