Most of us reach out for a cup of tea very often. Centuries of study have led us to the belief that tea can help boost health. At one stage, the product was sold in chemists – or apothecaries as they were known at the time.
But, the recent studies have discovered some new information which will dismay the tea lovers. Tea’s beneficial effects are completely wiped out by adding milk, the study concludes.
Much of tea’s goodness has been linked to its high content of antioxidants, which help protect the body against natural toxins known as free-radicals. The antioxidants protect against heart disease and stroke and may also have an anti-cancer effect.
But new research has found that if you are among the many who add milk to their cuppa, you are missing out on these benefits.
Researchers from Berlin looked at the effects of tea on 16 women, who drank either half a litre of freshly brewed black tea, black tea with 10 per cent skimmed milk, or just boiled water to act as a control.
The function of an artery in the forearm was measured using ultrasound scans before and two hours after the different drinks were consumed. The arteries in those who drank black tea were better at relaxing and expanding, boosting the flow of blood to the heart and around the body.
But this benefit appeared to have disappeared in those who drank the tea with added milk.
Dr Mario Lorenz, a molecular biologist, said: “The addition of milk completely prevents the biological effect.”
The effect is believed to be linked to caseins, proteins found in milk. The researchers, from Charite hospital in Berlin, said those proteins interacted with the tea to decrease the concentration of catechins – the flavonoids found in tea which protect against heart disease.
Dr Verena Stangl, professor of cardiology at the hospital, said: “The well-established benefits of tea have been described in many studies. Our results thus provide a possible explanation for the lack of beneficial effects of tea on the risk of heart disease in the UK, a country where milk is usually added.”
So, before you pick up that another cup of tea, try to avoid milk to get the maximum goodness that pure tea offers.
Via : WN Network
