The
news gets better as we go along. not only is tea lower in caffeine,
but now it's been found that caffeine in moderation is not
dangerous.
Numerous studies of caffeine have been made in the United States
over the past decade. Most were concerned with coffee, but black
tea, as an alternative beverage, has been involved by implication.
Some early studies linked caffeine to pancreatic cancer and heart
disease, but further recent research does not bear this out. In
fact, so far no one has been able to prove any direct relationship
between serious illness and beverage caffeine in moderate amounts.
Test have been unable to pinpoint such a relationship because many
other factors must be considered (smoking, stress, lifestyle, diet,
etc.). A broad study made in Norway originally stated that heavy
coffee drinkers had higher blood cholesterol and triglyceride
levels, but a second look showed that many of the subjects smoked,
had a high fat consumption, and took insufficient exercise. "Coffee
drinking may therefore indicate an unhealthy lifestyle," was the
conclusion as reported in the Univercity of Californis's prestigious
U.C. Berkeley Wellness Newsletter (July1988).
The
caffeine in coffee or tea drunk in moderation should not harm a
healthy person, says the newsletter, or even give rise to the
jitters known as coffee nerves. Pregnant women and nursing mothers
are urged, however, not to exceed moderation levels, and persons
with irregular heartbeats might be better off with no
caffeine-containing beverages. Moderation is defined as 200 to 250
milligrams per day, about the equivalent of the caffeine in two cups
of coffee. In that case, drinkers of tea, with its lower caffeine
content, should have no problem. Physicians have long prescribed
caffeine in medicines. Studies are now putting less emphasis on
caffeine as a danger and more on its uses to benefit health.
Caffeine stimulates movement of the intestinal tract and increase
the flow of digestive juices. This could be one reason why a cup of
tea after a greasy meal helps dissipate the fat and alleviates the
feeling of discomfort.
