Currently, the concept of a healthy diet is receiving increasing attention, and tea-based beverages, which emphasize the health benefits of tea, are becoming increasingly popular. Tea is rich in natural active ingredients such as tea polyphenols and caffeine, offering both nutritional and health benefits. So, do the wide variety of tea beverages, such as milk tea and fruit juice tea, also offer these benefits? What should be noted when consuming them?
The wide variety of tea beverages on the market are mostly tea-based with other ingredients added.
For example, fruit juice tea is a product made by adding pure fruit juice (or concentrated fruit juice), sugar syrup, and acidulants to tea water; milk-flavored tea is a product made by adding fresh milk or dairy products to tea water.
Fang Shi, Director of the Department of Nutrition at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, points out that this involves a preservation issue. When other substances are added to tea, preservatives and food additives must be added to the beverage. The main component of current preservatives is sorbic acid, which is the least toxic of the commonly used preservatives to date. However, it should still be treated rationally, as it is, after all, a chemical preparation.
Additionally, for tea beverages with added fresh fruit juice, it is currently unpredictable whether the added ingredients will conflict with the tea's components or if chemical reactions will occur. This is worth observing. "If conditions permit, it is recommended that everyone take the time and effort to brew and drink tea, as this is the healthiest way to consume tea," Fang Shi said.
Contraindications
Same as drinking plain tea
Tea beverages with other added ingredients have a refreshing and sweet taste, which is very popular among young people. But don't forget that their main ingredient is tea. While retaining its nutritional value, it also has certain contraindications for consumption. Fang Shi said that tea beverages, with tea as the main ingredient, still retain the original components of tea. Therefore, the contraindicications that apply to drinking tea also apply to consuming all types of tea beverages.
Do not drink before bedtime
The caffeine and aromatic substances in tea are stimulants. Drinking too much or too strong tea can excite the nervous system and brain, causing the heart rate and blood flow to speed up, making it difficult to fall asleep for a long time. How much consumption causes insomnia? Fang Shi states that there is no fixed rule, as it depends on the amount consumed, the tea's concentration, and individual tolerance. Different types or brands of tea beverages also have different tea content.
Limit consumption for those with high uric acid
For those with high uric acid, such as gout patients, tea consumption should be limited. The tannic acid in tea competes with the excretion of uric acid, thereby affecting its elimination. Therefore, gout patients should especially avoid drinking strong tea.
Taking medicine with tea water can render the medication ineffective
The tannic acid in tea can have chemical reactions with many medications, greatly reducing or completely neutralizing their effectiveness. Many traditional Chinese medicines, such as ginseng, coptis, phellodendron, and corydalis, should also not be taken with tea water to avoid reducing their efficacy. If it is unclear which medications may react with tea components, it is best to avoid taking any medication or traditional Chinese medicine with tea beverages. (Source: 39 Health Net)