A recent search for ongoing or recently completed clinical trials involving tea showed that there are 368 studies registered in North America and around the world on the potential health effects of tea on everything from diabetes, heart disease, cancer, asthma, obesity, cognitive function, osteoarthritis, asthma and ADHD. Why is there so much interest in a beverage that was discovered almost 5,000 years ago?
All teas come from the plant called camellia sinensis. The leaves from this plant (where tea comes from) contain naturally occurring compounds that may be good for your health. Thousands of studies published in leading medical journals in the last couple of decades are providing proof of tea's ancient health claims.
The Tea Association of the U.S.A has done an excellent job of summarizing some of the key clinical studies on tea and health prior to 2013 in the publication below. Click on the link provided (or copy and paste it into your browser) to access the full document.
Tea drinking on its own is no "magic bullet" and will never equal the greatest health promoter of all - a healthy lifestyle. But it certainly fits well with that lifestyle and the evidence supports and continues to build for tea being incorporated into an overall healthy diet for many people.
http://www.teausa.com/teausa/images/TeaCouncil-ResearchDocR5_-_FINAL.pdf
