Which is healthier: coffee or tea? This is the winner

Coffee and tea are among the most consumed beverages in the world. In fact, tea is second only to water. Both tea and coffee have been proven x-fold to have a positive effect on health.

But who wins when it comes to a direct comparison? The US Washington Post has taken a close look at the latest investigations. These are their insights.

Dietary fiber is mainly found in plant foods. Many people nowadays tend towards a lack of dietary fiber – although the vegetable fibers and fillers are said to be very healthy for our bodies. They provide a longer-lasting feeling of satiety, stimulate intestinal function and promote the intact intestinal mucosa and intestinal flora.

According to one study, a cup of coffee contains between 1.1 and 1.8 grams of fiber – depending on whether it is espresso, filter or instant coffee.

Sounds like little? But it isn’t. Let’s say a coffee drinker drinks an average of three cups of coffee a day. The person would have consumed one fifth of the daily recommended amount of dietary fiber. A cup of coffee contains more fiber than a glass of orange juice.

Tea, on the other hand, will hardly help you achieve your daily healthy dose of fiber. So this point clearly goes to the coffee: 1 to 0 coffee.

Working a little longer or studying for an important exam: caffeine can help. And there’s plenty of that in both coffee and tea. Studies show that caffeine can improve attention span, alertness and reaction time. However, too much caffeine can lead to nervousness and over-excitement, which in turn can negatively affect performance.

The caffeine content of coffee and tea varies widely, depending on many factors. The Washington Post cites a study here: According to this, a cup of brewed coffee contains about 100 milligrams of caffeine. (Espresso and instant coffee contain slightly less.) In comparison, there is much less caffeine in 2.3 deciliters of black tea, about 50 milligrams.

But which is better for optimal attention? Another study may answer that: The participants were asked to drink four cups of coffee or tea during the day. Both drinks had similar effects on alertness and cognitive performance. However, tea had one big advantage over coffee: it contained enough caffeine to improve performance, but not so much that it interfered with sleep.

This point is about going to tea. It’s 1 on 1.

Both tea and coffee contain polyphenols. Never heard? Polyphenols belong to the secondary plant substances and are very healthy. They are only found in plants and are found in the outer layers of fruits, vegetables and grains.

Polyphenols are real health weapons: they can reduce the risk of chronic diseases and are, as it were, a superfood for our healthy gut bacteria, which can therefore live longer.

Coffee has significantly more polyphenols than green tea, and green tea has more polyphenols than black tea. So coffee takes the lead again – 2 to 1 for the black stock.

According to several studies, both tea and coffee appear to be good for the heart – both reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.

However, such studies are always a bit tricky: it could also be that coffee and tea drinkers have many other habits, such as exercising more or eating healthier, that have a positive effect on heart health.

But it turns out that the antioxidants and polyphenols in coffee and tea have a protective effect on heart health. Clinical studies show that regular tea consumption, especially green tea, can slightly improve blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Drinking decaf coffee — about two to four cups a day — has also been linked to a reduction in heart disease. This suggests that the heart benefits of drinking coffee and tea are likely due to substances other than caffeine. According to the Washington Post, there are more studies linking coffee to heart health than tea.

Nevertheless, you absolutely can’t go wrong with either one. Both drinks get one point: It’s 3:2 for the coffee.

These findings are probably one of the clearest — and, in terms of their strength, the most surprising: Coffee drinkers have a significantly lower risk of developing cancer. Multiple studies, including a meta-analysis of 59 studies, come to the following conclusion: People who drink coffee regularly have a 13 percent lower risk of cancer than people who rarely or never drink.

In the case of tea, on the other hand, this association could not be demonstrated. So this point is clear Coffee: 4 to 2.

A meta-analysis of research involving more than one million people found that people who drank up to four cups of coffee a day had a 25 percent lower risk of developing diabetes than those who drank little or no coffee. That may be due to a particular polyphenol that has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and blood sugar control, according to the Washington Post.

There was also such evidence for tea, but the studies don’t really match up in this case. Again, therefore this point applies Coffee: 5 to 2!

This is where tea comes into its own: Studies have shown that drinking green or black tea can help people feel more relaxed and lower their levels of cortisol, the stress hormone.

The reason: This can be partially attributed to L-theanine. This is a compound found in teas, especially green and black teas, that seems to promote relaxation. Apparently, L-theanine is sometimes even included in melatonin supplements to aid sleep.

Coffee, on the other hand, tends to boost cortisol levels, increasing well-being and mood. But: if the goal is pure relaxation, then a cup of tea is the better choice. So this round is about tea: It’s 5 to 3.

And again very good news for tea and coffee lovers: both live longer than people who drink neither of these two things.

For tea drinkers, both green and black teas have been linked to longer life. Scientists in England followed half a million people over a period of 14 years. They found that people who drank at least two cups of tea a day had a 9 to 13 percent lower risk of dying than non-tea drinkers during the study period.

It’s no different for female coffee drinkers: A recent study found that those who drank 2.5 to 4.5 cups of coffee a day were 30 percent less likely to die than those who drank no coffee over the study period of about seven years. Even those who drank their coffee with a teaspoon of sugar seemed to reap the benefits.

The Washington Post gives both drinks a point. Final score: 6 to 4 for the coffee!

Enthusiasts can look forward to: Coffee wins this duel by two points!

It should also be mentioned here that some of the studies mentioned above have an obvious “but”: many are so-called observational studies. This means that any positive effects cannot be seen in isolation. They can arise from other factors related to the likelihood of drinking coffee or tea.

It doesn’t matter – says the “Washington Post”. In any case, the positive effects of both drinks are undisputed based on the findings of numerous studies. One reason coffee wins the health battle could simply be because there are more studies examining the link between coffee and health. So it’s entirely possible for tea to catch up over time. (lacquer)