Physical Health Benefits of Tea and Its Impact on Mental Health
Besides brewing a tasty drink, the tea leaf Camellia sinensis possesses compounds that assist in warding off chronic diseases in the body. Some benefits of regular tea consumption, whether it’s green, black, or oolong, are listed below:
Reduces Risk of Cancer
- Consuming multiple cups of tea on a regular basis can help prevent certain types of cancer, including skin, lung, prostate, and breast cancer.
Improves Cardiovascular Function
- In one study, researchers found that regular tea consumption reduces the risk of coronary artery disease in males. Additionally, tea has significant positive impacts on the metabolic system.
Tea and Diabetes
- Another study demonstrated green tea’s potency in reducing the risk of type II diabetes in individuals.
Mental Health Benefits of Drinking Tea
Tea serves as a special deterrent against mental illness, including depression. Researchers have conducted several studies in recent years examining the effects of the chemical compounds in tea and how they interact with the chemistry of the brain, protecting it against depressive pathology. These compounds include:
- L-theanine: reduces stress and cortisol levels, and lowers the adrenocorticotropic hormone, which triggers cortisol release in the body.
- Green tea polyphenol mixture: reduces cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone levels.
- L-arginine: reduces overall stress.
Antidepressant Effects
More frequent tea consumption and its connection to mental health is correlated with a reduced risk of depression. One study notes that out of all teas, green tea has the most significant impact. Four biological systems that can contribute to depressive pathology include: HPA (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal) axis, immune inflammatory response, gut-brain axis, and neuroplasticity.
The compounds found in green tea can affect neurotransmitters in the brain to help regulate an individual’s biological potential for depressive symptoms. Additionally, consistently elevated stress levels can result in diminished neural pathways in the brain. This reduces neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s way of assigning jobs to different locations of the brain in the event of injury or reduction of brain function. Neuroplasticity is one of the brain’s barriers against depressive pathology, without which it can fall victim to a host of symptoms. Regular tea consumption can help the body reduce levels of stress overall and mediate depressive pathology.
Tea, Inflammation, and Its Link to Depression
“Sickness behavior” syndrome describes the human tendency to withdraw from typical activities, such as socializing and engaging in strenuous tasks, when fighting disease or infection, often resulting in an outwardly lethargic state. Chronic inflammation triggers a similar response, which can present and be diagnosed as depression. Inflammation in the body also increases HPA activity and raises overall stress levels. However, tea and mental health are closely connected, as tea can help combat chronic inflammation.
Anti-inflammatory compounds in tea include:
- Theaflavins: Reduce neural inflammation
- Green tea extract: Reduces hepatic inflammation (inflammation of the liver)
- Epigallocatechin gallate: Reduces neural inflammation
These compounds, found in every tea leaf, work together to reduce overall bodily inflammation, which in turn supports mental health by helping prevent depressive pathology from manifesting.
The Hidden Healing Powers of Tea for Mental Health and Body
Tea is a typical remedy for illnesses like the common cold, sworn by millions to help cure a runny nose or a sore throat. Its healing benefits go much deeper, affecting not only your body’s ability to ward off chronic illness but your brain’s protective measures against mental illness as well. A mug of tea may seem like a simple, comforting beverage, but packs a hidden wealth of benefits for your mind and body in just a cup of hot water and a few Camellia sinensis leaves.
Sources
Fleck, A. (2024b, May 21). Who drinks tea? Statista Daily Data. https://www.statista.com/chart/29582/share-of-people-that-drink-tea-in-selected-countries
Khan, N., & Mukhtar, H. (2013). Tea and health: studies in humans. Current pharmaceutical design, 19(34), 6141–6147. https://doi.org/10.2174/1381612811319340008
Rothenberg, D. O., & Zhang, L. (2019). Mechanisms Underlying the Anti-Depressive Effects of Regular Tea Consumption. Nutrients, 11(6), 1361. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11061361
