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Labels on bottled tea beverage are typically plastered with contract of their ample antioxidant content . But a new study suggests , if you ’re looking for high superman of sanitary antioxidant , you might be better off brewing your tea at home .
Many of the popular beverages included in the subject field contain fewerantioxidantsthan a single loving cup of home - brewed green or pitch-dark tea , the research worker say . Some store - corrupt teas moderate such small-scale amounts that consumers would have to drink 20 bottles to get the antioxidant , also called polyphenols , present in one cup of tea .
She’s holding a warm cup o' Joe, so now’s the time to approach for a favor, at least according to new research suggesting when we hold warm objects we are more generous.
" There is a huge gap between the percept thattea consumption is healthyand the genuine amount of the sanitary food — polyphenols — find in bottled afternoon tea drink . Our analytic thinking of tea potable found that the polyphenol content is extremely low , " said study researcher Shiming Li , an analytical and natural Cartesian product pharmacist at WellGen , Inc. , a biotechnology company in North Brunswick , N.J. , that recrudesce aesculapian nutrient for patients with diseases , including a proprietary contraband tea product that will be commercialize for its anti - inflammatory benefits .
In addition , bottled beverages often check large amounts of shekels that wellness - witting consumers may be endeavor to avoid , Li say .
The field of study was acquaint Aug. 22 at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society ( ACS ) in Boston .
Bottled vs. brewed
Antioxidants are substances thatprotect electric cell against damagefrom unstable molecules call free radicals . They may play a role in preventing a server of diseases , includingcancer , cardiovascular disease andAlzheimer ’s .
Li and colleagues mensurate the level of polyphenols of six trade name of Camellia sinensis purchased from supermarket . one-half of them hold in what Li characterized as " most no " antioxidant . The eternal sleep had small amount of money of polyphenols that Li say probably would carry little health welfare , specially when considering the high-pitched scratch uptake from Camellia sinensis beverages .
The six teas Li analyzed contained 81 , 43 , 40 , 13 , 4 , and 3 milligrams of polyphenols per 16 - oz. bottle . One average cup of home - brewed green or ignominious tea leaf , which costs only a few cents , contains 50 - 150 mg of polyphenols .
Less tea , more pee
After water , tea is the world ’s most wide have beverage . teatime sales agreement in the United States have quadrupled since 1990 and now total about $ 7 billion annually .
Some manufacturers do list polyphenol depicted object on the bottle recording label , Li state . But the quantity may be faulty , because there are no industriousness or government standards or guidepost for measuring and list the polyphenolic compounds in a given intersection . A even tea bag , for example , weighs about 2.2 grams and could contain as much as 175 atomic number 12 of polyphenols , Li said . But polyphenols take down and vanish as the tea dish is steeped in hot body of water . The polyphenol content also may deviate as maker modify their cognitive operation , include the quantity and quality of tea used to prepare a batch and the Camellia sinensis brewing fourth dimension .
" Polyphenols are bitter and astringent , but to target as many consumers as they can , manufacturers want to keep the bitterness and astringency at a minimum , " Li explained . " The simplest path is to add less tea , which makes the Camellia sinensis polyphenol content low but taste smooth and sweeter . "
Li used a standard laboratory technique , termed high - performance liquid chromatography ( HPLC ) , to make what he described as the first measurements of polyphenols in bottled tea drink . He hopes the research will encourage similar use of HPLC by producer and others to provide consumers with better nutritionary information .
