Recent Research indicates that both Tea and Coffee are beneficial to a person’s health. In general, there is no great difference between the two overall.
There are many factors that contribute to the health benefits of Coffee and Tea. The amount of Coffee or Tea that a person drinks, the caffeine content, the antioxidant content, and more are just a few important factors.
For each person the answer may be different. Make the best decision for yourself based on your reaction to both beverages, your preferences, and the information you will find in this article.
Why is it Hard to Determine the Healthiness of Coffee and Tea?
There are many factors that go into studies such as those done on Coffee and Tea drinking. These factors are not easily controllable.
When scientists run these sorts of studies they have to accept that different people lead different lifestyles. These different lifestyles also affect health.
Scientists in charge of these studies can request questionnaires be filled out truthfully but they cannot ensure that they are. Questions on these questionnaires can include but are not limited to:
- Do you drink coffee?
- How much coffee do you drink each day?
- Do you put anything in your coffee? If yes, what do you put in coffee?
- Do you drink tea?
- How much tea do you drink each day?
- Do you put anything in your tea? If yes, what do you put in your tea?
- Do you exercise?
- How often do you exercise? How many times a day (or week)?
- How long is each exercise session?
- What kinds of foods do you typically eat?
Questionnaires can have hundreds of questions and each person may answer each question a little differently. Scientists that evaluate the questionnaires then need to group people into categories.
Not everyone will fit perfectly into one or another category. Scientists need to put them in the closest category.
In addition, these sorts of studies need decades of research to really see the effects since many of the health benefits prevent severe chronic conditions such as cancer.
The length of these studies increases the difficulty because people may change their habits over such a long period of time. In the end, scientists have to make their best estimate about whether and how coffee and tea helped or hindered.
What Makes Coffee Healthy?
The Caffeine and Antioxidants in Coffee are the key ingredients that make coffee healthy. It is important to remember that there are limits to the health benefits of coffee.
Coffee can give you a boost in the morning, it can help you concentrate, and it can help you control your weight.
If you find that you feel jittery or sick when you drink coffee this is a sign that coffee is not the caffeine drink for you.
If you don’t like the way it tastes, don’t drink coffee just because it is “healthy”. It is not so incredibly healthy that you should drink it like medicine.
What Makes Tea Healthy?
Tea also has Antioxidants and Caffeine which are key to its health benefits. Tea comes in many varieties and different varieties will affect you differently.
Yerba Mate, a tea from South America, has the most caffeine at around 85 mg per cup.
- Black Tea contains the next highest caffeine amount at about 50 mg per cup.
- Oolong Tea has 30-40 mg of caffeine per cup.
- Green Tea has 20-30 mg of caffeine per cup.
- White Tea has 15-20 mg of caffeine per cup.
- Herbal Teas are Caffeine-Free which means you do not get the caffeine health benefits.
- Decaf Tea has about 2-4 mg of caffeine per cup.
All teas have antioxidants so no matter what tea you prefer you can get those health benefits.
Tea with caffeine can give you an energy boost that is milder than coffee and can last longer due to an antioxidant called L-theanine which slows down the metabolizing of caffeine.
Tea, like coffee, can help you focus, and it can help you control your weight. Green Tea is even said to help with weight loss because it helps you stay full longer.
Why is Caffeine Healthy?
Caffeine has been linked to a lowered risk of Type 2 Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease, Neurodegenerative Diseases, and Cancers.
Caffeine in healthy amounts can improve sports performances, endurance in sporting activities, alertness, reaction times, and memory.
Healthy limits of Caffeine fall at about 400 mg. Too much caffeine can be harmful, it is best to avoid drinking more than 500 mg of caffeine a day.
Too much caffeine can cause you to feel:
- Nausea
- Anxiety
- Diarrhea
- Insomnia
- Elevated Heart rate
- And more…
What are Antioxidants and Why Are They Healthy?
Antioxidants are compounds that protect you from radical damage and carcinogens. The most common antioxidants in coffee and tea are Polyphenols.
Similar to caffeine, antioxidants can protect a person from cancer, leukemia, and many other chronic health problems.
Unlike Caffeine, it is hard to eat too many antioxidants. This is a good thing since they are often found in fruits and vegetables as well.
How are Coffee and Tea Different?
Coffee has more Caffeine than Tea. Some Coffees have more Antioxidants and some Teas have more.
The effect of Caffeine from Coffee happens quicker and fades faster than tea. Some Coffee drinkers may struggle to fall asleep and stay asleep at night.
Tea drinkers may find they are calmer and more relaxed as many teas have a calming and soothing effect.
How Many Cups of Coffee a Day is Healthy?
In order to determine how many cups of coffee are healthy it is important to recognize it will be different for everyone.
For some people, 1 cup is the max. For others, 4 to 5 cups is fine. For most people, 2 to 3 cups is good.
How Many Cups of Tea a Day is Healthy?
In order to determine how many cups of tea are healthy it is important to recognize it will be different depending on what type of tea you are drinking.
The numbers below are based on a person who does not drink coffee. Remember the goal is to stay below 500 mg of Caffeine.
- Yerba Mate: No more than 5 or 6 cups.
- Black Tea: No more than 10 cups.
- Oolong Tea: No more than 11 or 12 cups.
- Green Tea: No more than 15 to 18 cups.
- White Tea: No more than 20 cups.
- Decaf Tea: No more than 100 cups.
- Herbal: As many cups as you want!
Hi, I’m Jen Williams, chief editor and writer for ThirstPerk.com.
I’ve been drinking coffee and tea for most of my life, but it wasn’t until I started working at Thirstperk.com that I became an expert on the subject. I’m a total caffeine addict who has spent hours upon hours reading about and experimenting with the different types of coffees out there in my search to find the perfect cup of joe.
I’ve been a tea lover for as long as I can remember as well. I grew up in a house with a mom who loved to drink herbal tea, and I think that’s where my love for tea first began. These days, I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting teas to try, and I love experimenting with different brewing methods and flavoring combinations.