In a rivalry as old as brewed drinks themselves, the medical proprieties of the coffee bean and the leaf and their corresponding brews are highly debated, with each one being championed by their fans as the either’s healthier alternative. So how does the scientific analysis of kettle’s content stand up to these claims, and is any of them really so much better than the other? Next we’re embarking in making the old tea vs coffee debate a little less harsh.
1. They both help reduce the heart diseases risk
To begin with, they both share a trait that makes them advantageous to the old ticker. A team of researchers from the Netherlands showed that high and moderate consumption of tea and moderate consumption of coffee are both linked with reduced heart disease. Those who drink six or more cups of tea per day were shown to be 36 percent less likely to develop heart disease than those who drank less than one. Alternatively, those who drank three to six cups of coffee per day were 45 percent less likely to develop heart disease compared to those who drank less than one.
The study does list as limitations to their research the lack of more specific information on the subtypes of brews, such as green tea vs. iced coffee, but it should be remembered that 78% of all tea drank in Netherlands is black tea.
2. Caffeine improves thinking skills and memory
At this point, it’s not tea vs coffee, but both these fine brews vs human cognitive faults. Caffeine can be considered a bona-fide miracle substance. Not only does it perk you up immediately after the cup is consumed, but it has also been shown to have beneficial long-term effects on the human body. Found both in coffee and in tea, particularly black tea – which is often used as a replacement for the former, caffeine has been shown to help in maintaining memory and thinking skills with age, feat done by its ability to blocks receptors for a chemical called adenosine, which normally prevents the release of stimulant brain chemicals.
3. The caffeine in coffee and tea helps alleviating the effects of Alzheimer’s in women
Women drinking three cups of coffee or six cups of tea per day have brains that lost less white matter in old age, a study of the National Institute on Aging in Baltimore has shown. White matter is an important part of the way information is transmitted in the brain and is usually diminishing after the age of 50, a process that caffeine fights against. The reason why the substance doesn’t have the same effect on men is considered to be linked to hormones, but is not entirely understood.
4. Coffee reduces the risk of Parkinson’s, more so in men
It’s not just your mind that is helped by having a pitcher of brew per day, but your body as well. A team of Portuguese researchers have shown a clear connection between coffee intake and the chance of developing Parkinson’s. A moderate consumption of coffee, estimated at two to three cups per day, may lead to a 25% reduction in the risk of developing the degenerative disease, but, in a gender reversal, that number is only 14% in the case of women.
5. Both coffee and tea contain antioxidants and nutrients
Regardless of your love for either a bag of beans or one of leaves, rest assured that whichever hot brew you order off the menu will be beneficial. For one, both contain antioxidants, which bond with free radicals, unpaired particles that damage cell tissue, leading to less oxidative damage, one of the main causes of physical aging. Furthermore, antioxidants are also at the forefront of your body’s fight against cancer.
6. Caffeinated drinks allegedly reduce the risk of developing type 2 Diabetes.
Although the levels of blood sugar rise in the short term after the consumption of caffeine, research has shown that this is easily made up for by the antioxidants present in brews which may improve insulin sensitivity and, consequently, lower the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes in the long run. Of course, this all depends on how much sugar you like to add to your cup, an addition that can disrupt any nutritional calculation in the tea vs coffee debate.