Oral Health
Fluoride is the most successful agent against tooth decay ever discovered. Tea is one of the few natural sources of fluoride (depending on the type and strength of tea) and has been shown to have a positive effect on preventing tooth decay and gum disease.

Scientists believe that drinking tea improves oral health by helping prevent dental caries. A British study published in 1991 suggested that heavy tea drinking could even provide some children with enough fluoride to prevent tooth decay.

It has also been suggested that plaque, the scale caused by mouth bacteria that leads to gum disease, is decreased by drinking tea. These effects are probably due to tea's antioxidant components working in synergy with its fluoride content.

Heart Disease and Cancer
The natural antioxidant properties of tea may help reduce the risk of developing heart disease. Studies have provided evidence that it is the polyphenols in tea that have a beneficial effect on two long established heart disease risk factors: high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure.

Cholesterol levels: Studies have indicated that average blood cholesterol levels drop as the amount of tea consumed increases. Published evidence has shown trends towards lower systolic blood pressure levels (systolic) as tea drinking levels go up.

The latest human study shows that tea significantly increases antioxidant activity. Amongst 21 volunteers who were tested for six days, and given the equivalent of three cups of tea a day, researchers found an increase of antioxidants in their blood plasma levels.

Another study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology and reported in The Lancet, indicated that the risk of heart attack in people who drank one or more cups of tea a day was about half that of those who drank no tea. The researchers suggested that the benefits of drinking tea may be attributed to the high concentration of flavonoids which reduce blood clotting and the deposition of cholesterol in the blood vessels.

Several other research studies have also demonstrated tea s positive effect on heart disease. A Scandinavian study of men aged between 50 and 69, showed that drinking four to five cups of tea a day reduced the risk of stroke by 69 per cent. Other studies have indicated that drinking the same amount of tea a day may also have a beneficial effect on high blood cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Cancer prevention
Tea consumption may have beneficial effects in reducing cancer risk in certain populations. As tea is one of the most popular drinks in the world, any possible relationship between its consumption and a reduced incidence of cancer in humans is of great significance.

A wide spectrum of studies, both in the laboratory and in human populations, looking at the relationship between tea consumption and cancer, generally indicate a protective effect of tea.

Results of the most recent preliminary research published in Nutrition and Cancer indicated that tea may protect against the development of pancreatic and prostate cancer. Researchers from the National Centre for Toxicological Research in the United States, extracted theaflavins and polyphenols and demonstrated that they significantly inhibited the growth of human pancreatic and prostate tumour cells.

Their research also indicated that tea could have a role to play in changing the genes involved in the process of causing cancer.

Another study, published in the International Journal of Cancer, indicated that men who drink between two and three cups per day may reduce their risk of developing prostate cancer by up to 30 per cent compared to non-tea drinkers.

Researchers from the University of Toronto looked at the complete history of beverage intake amongst 617 men who were suffering from prostate cancer and compared them with 637 healthy men. The results of the study suggested that the benefits of drinking tea might be attributed to the high concentration of certain antioxidants called phytochemicals which help the body fight harmful free radicals.