But which type of tea is the best? This was the question that two researchers from Canada decided to investigate by comparing green, black and rooibos tea.
It would seem that tea consumption is associated with higher bone mineral density, which is good for all of us as we get older, as our bone density decreases but especially for menopausal women as they have a higher rate of bone density loss.
The researchers tested the polyphenols from the different tea types on osteoblast cells (the ones that make bone). Not only did they include one of each tea type in their analysis they also included a more expensive black tea and the bog standard stuff.
They found that low levels of polyphenols, comparable to drinking approx. 2-3 cups of tea a day promoted bone mineralisation. At higher levels of polyphenols, that could only realistically be reached by taking supplements, there were indications of oxidative stress, which is not desirable.
Black tea and green tea stimulated bone mineralisation more than rooibos tea but it also had a positive effect. There was little difference between the cheaper and expensive black tea. If you like milk in your black tea though, and let’s face it, most of us English folk do, the proteins unfortunately reduce the polyphenol activity (Got milk?….).
Oh well, less is still better than none…