Tea – The Great Anti-ager

From culture to social connection, tea has been woven into tradition as long as history itself. Consuming tea has not only helped define societal ways, but when it comes to the health of tea drinking populations, it continues to be revered as an all encompassing health promotor. Not only that, but tea can also be confidently considered on of the greats of all anti-ager’s. From its potent antioxidants to its highly effective medicinal effects, consuming regular and ample amounts of tea can do more for your health than one may think. 

So what is it about tea that defines its acclaim as one of the most healthy of foods and drink for optimal aging? 

It’s what it’s made of that really counts

Tea, within itself, comes from plants. Plants, within themselves, are well known for the plethora of potent health benefits they offer those who consume them. Innately, nature provides almost everything we as humans need to not only stay healthy, but to fight and reduce disease. Although most herbs and plants offer a multitude of healthy benefits, it just so happens that the most common plants that make up the majority of teas available are also many of the most medicinally potent plants that nature has to offer. Think for a moment about tea, can you name off a few different varieties without much thought? From ginger to green, to echinacea, to white, even the most common orange pekoe black tea , these tea’s offer many anti-aging health benefits that many would otherwise miss. If it wasn’t for tea being such a well accepted part of our pastime as well as helping define who we are, many of these herbal medicines would never reach the health potential of mankind. 

It’s slow and steady that wins the race

By nature, drinking tea is associated with calmness, serenity and slowing down. One of the advantages to the ‘pace’ it brings is that it helps slow our tempo, unwind and enjoy a cup of freshly steeped tea. This, in itself, aids in settling our nervous system and replenishing our stress system, both of which counter the ill effects of unhealthy aging. The fact that tea takes time to steep also touts it as an anti-ager as typically the longer it is steeped, the more medicinal benefit it draws out. 

It knows exactly where it needs to go

The thing about the plants and herbs that make up the majority of the teas we drink, is that they have an inherent knowledge of what to do and where to go. Once consumed, the medicinal properties of tea are rapidly absorbed into the blood. Once in the body, what are the effects that tea has on health? Studies out the University of Maryland for example, have identified that polyphenol antioxidants from green tea target cellular levels to fight free radicals that damage DNA and cause premature aging, heart disease, and cancer. Black and white teas contain antioxidants that have been widely shown to reduce cancer risk and provide cardiovascular support. Studies have also shown that a variety of different teas can directly impact telomere length in cells and spare their destruction, in which shorter telomeres are well correlated with expedited aging and ill health effects. So as you can see, the commonality between the benefits of tea all clearly point to the anti-aging potential of regular consumption. If that isn’t enough to get you going on a regular tea drinking routine, although science can clearly state the huge array of its anti-aging health benefits, the bonus is as the great anti-ager, we have only begun to scratch the surface.