Running head: TEA VERSUS WATER

The Benefits of Drinking Tea Compared to Water

Jerek Silvas
English 301
Dr. Leslie Bruce
California State University, Fullerton

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Childhood & Water

Growing up my

are just as healthy. Although

parents made it extremely

water does provide a

clear I was going to take part

countless amount of health

in sports and afterschool

benefits, it is nave for one to

programs. Specifically

say it is the healthiest liquid

activities that were going to

to consume, especially when

keep me busy and healthy,

there are particular drinks that

and like any child would, I

provide the same benefits and

obeyed their rules. I took part in several sports

more. Drinks such as tea. While drinking large

and was constantly going from school to

amounts of tea can be detrimental to ones

practice, and always on the move. This made me

health, drinking tea is just as healthy, if not,

more susceptible to forgetting things but there

healthier than water because of its ability to not

was always one concept my parents never let me

only hydrate the human body just as well, but its

forget, and that was to drink water. They always

ability to provide antioxidants and protect

made this clear - water needs to be consumed in

against heart disease.

order to stay healthy and hydrated. When it

came to my diet other beverages were never a
part of the discussion, but why water?
This idea of water being the healthiest

According to nutritionists Dr. Popkin,

DAnci, and Rosenberg from the National
Institutes of Health, water is essential to human
life, and humans can only survive for days

liquid one can consume has been imprinted in

without water. Not only is water said to be our

my head since childhood and only until I came

life-line but it has also been associated with the

to college did I question the infatuation. Since

reduction in urinary tract infections,

college, I have been introduced to liquids that

hypertension, and fatal heart disease (Popkin,

DAnci, & Rosenberg, 2010). In order for us to

Many researchers have discovered

stay hydrated and alive we must constantly

that tea hydrates the body just efficiently as

consume certain amounts of water, or at least

water. This is opposing to the popular belief that

that is what we are told.

tea is dehydrating because of its caffeine

It is important for one to understand they

are not going to die if they do not constantly
consume pure water. Doctors from Pennsylvania
State University say, the current infatuation with
water, as an all-purpose health drink is a
combination of fiction and little science
(Elpburn, 2013). Consider that first
commandment of good health: Drink at least
eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day (Elpburn,
2013). This rule itself is questionable and most
nutritionists have no idea where it even comes
from. "I can't even tell you that," says Barbara
Rolls, a nutrition researcher at Pennsylvania
State University, "and I've written a book on
water" (Rolls, 2013).

content; a tale often perpetuated in media

reports and even by some health care
professionals (Johnston, 2014). Many say if one
drinks tea, they must also include water in their
diet because the caffeine content in tea makes
them more susceptible to dehydration. This is
false. Studies on caffeine found extremely high
doses dehydrate and everyone assumes that
caffeine-containing beverages dehydrate but
even if you were to drink an extremely strong
cup of tea, which is quite hard to make, you
would still have a net gain of fluid (Garnder, C,
& Leeds, 2006). It is important to understand
that caffeine, in high doses, can lead to
dehydration but too much of anything can be
harmful. If your concerns about dehydration
from consuming tea are what is stopping you

Got Tea?

from drinking tea, tea expert Beth Johnston

recommends limiting your tea intake to eight

cups a day to prevent risks of dehydration but

disruptions in the natural oxidation process

even that amount is not harmful.

unstable and potentially damaging molecules

(http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-

called free radicals are created (Fontenot, 2011).

Oxygen prompts the formation of these
destructive chemicals, and, if left uncontrolled,
they can cause extreme damage to cells in the
body (Fontenot, 2011). It's very similar to the
chemical reaction turns a cut apple brown or

benefits-drinking-tea-over-coffee.html)

Stay Hydrated & Receive Antioxidants

The benefits of consuming tea are one of
the most interesting aspects of the data

creates rust on a bicycle. Imagine having this

same process occur to your body because an
extreme lack of antioxidants.
Antioxidants are a huge decision factor

reviewed, but studies eliminate the myth that tea

in the competition between water and tea

dehydrates (Johnston, 2014). According to the

because water is not a provider of them.

work in the European Journal of Clinical

However, scientists have recently discovered

Nutrition, by Dr. Ruxton, drinking tea is

consuming too many may be detrimental to

significantly better for you than drinking water

ones health. In one of the largest studies of

because water is essentially replacing fluid,

supplemental antioxidants done by the

while tea replaces fluid and provides

Cleveland Clinic, researchers discovered that

antioxidants. (Ruxton, 2000). Antioxidants are

antioxidants significantly increase the risk of

molecules that prevent or slow down the

mortality and slightly increase the risk of

breakdown of other substances by oxygen (Gale

cardiovascular disease. What made this study so

Encyclopedia, 2008). When there are

significant is that it was a meta-analysis

meaning it allowed investigators to combine the

continues to promote, are completely flawed.

results of multiple studies and enabled small

Many of these studies cannot account for the

benefits or harm to be seen that may have

flaws of natural antioxidants because they use

otherwise gone unnoticed in other studies

isolated synthetic supplements rather than those

(Yusuf S, 2000). As a result, researchers

found in whole foods and drinks such as tea

concluded too many supplemental antioxidants

(Daniel H. Chong, 2005). Natural antioxidants,

significantly increased risks of heart disease and

specifically ones that come from tea are

cancer. Researchers also recommended

extremely important for our health. The

monitoring the amount of intake regarding

antioxidants in tea can increase good

antioxidants (Yusuf S, 2000). This is contrary to

cholesterol, improve artery function, and help

popular belief that tea containing these

stop the oxidation of bad cholesterol because of

antioxidants prevents such diseases.

their ability to reduce free radicals (Daniel H.

Although the information obtained by

researchers from the Cleveland Clinic have been
some of the most up to date, it is important to
recognize that the antioxidants in this study
were supplemental antioxidants. The flaw in
the conclusion of the study is that they said
adding supplements can be harmful. Luckily for
tea, it is naturally healthy and does not require
any extra supplements. Antioxidants are only
harmful when taken as supplements. This study,
along with an array of other ones the media

Chong 2005). Scientists can try to dispel the

positives from antioxidants but the chances of
this are slim. Unlike water, tea is not only rich
in antioxidants but it has been scientifically
proven to prevent heart disease. A recent
Chinese study published in the archives of
Internal Medicine showed a 46-65% reduction
in risk of hypertension in regular consumers of
tea compared to non-consumers (Watson, 2013).
Heart Disease? Nope, Not For Me!

According to the Center for Disease and

from Friedman School of Nutrition at The

Control Prevention heart disease kills over

University of Tufts Medical Center examined a

610,000 every year and is the leading cause of

particular type of antioxidant most prominent in

death in men and women. To put that into

tea called flavonoids. They found that

perspective, that is 1 person in every 4 deaths

flavonoids had a significant impact on the rates

(Disease Center & Control, 2015).

to which one contracted heart disease. In their

research, there were a total of five different
studies across over a five year time span and all
reported the risk lowered the higher the intake
of flavonoids (Peterson, Dwyer, Jacques, &
McCullough, 2012). What makes flavonoids so
important is that they prevent the formation of
clots that trigger heart attacks and strokes and

(Pict
ured above is what happens to ones arteries
when they have heart disease. On the right,
plaque is decreasing the flow of blood to the
heart. (Disease Control & Prevention, 2015)
http://www.cdc.gov/HeartDisease/facts.htm)

Many would not think something as

minor as tea would have the ability to prevent
such a fatal disease but it very well can. There
has been numerous studies showing a
correlation between the consumption of tea and
cardiovascular disease. For example, researchers

are compounds that once again, water does not

contain.
Give It a Shot!
It is nave to suggest water is the only
way to prevent disease and stay hydrated. The
next time one attempts to discuss with you about
healthy drinks, I encourage you to take the time
to make them aware of the multiple benefits tea
provides. Banishing the myths about tea is going
to take time, so spread the word and remember,

you never know how much you can benefit from

something until you try it for yourself.

References
Antioxidants. (2008). The Gale Encyclopedia of Science, 260-261

Control, D. C. (2015). Heart Disease In The United States. Centers For Disease Center & Control.
Retrieved November 17, 2015
Daniel H. Chong, N. (2005). Real or Synthetic: The Truth Behind Whole-Food Supplements. Mercola:
Take Control of Your Health. Retrieved November 15 , 2015 , from
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2005/01/19/whole-food-supplements.aspx
Elpburn, R. D. (2013). What If I Can't Drink Eight Glasses of Water a Day? Advanced Purification
Engineering Corp. Retrieved from http://www.freedrinkingwater.com/water_health/health1/1drink-eight-glasses-water-daily.htm
Fontenot, B. (2011). Antioxidants Explained: Why These Compounds Are So Important. The Atlantic.
Retrieved November 9, 2015 , from
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/10/antioxidants-explained-why-thesecompounds-are-so-important/247311/
Garnder, E., C, R., & Leeds, A. (2006). Black Tea - Helpful or Harmful. European Journal of Clinical
Nutrition. Retrieved November 15, 2015, from
http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v61/n1/full/1602489a.html#Introduction
Johnston, B. (2014). Tea and Hydration. Teas Etc. Retrieved November 11, 2015, from
http://www.teasetc.com/tea/article.asp?ID=52
Peterson, J. J., Dwyer, J. T., Jacques, P. F., & McCullough, M. L. (2012). Do Flavonoids Reduce
Cardiovascular Disease Incidence or Mortality in US and European Populations? National
Institutes of Health. Retrieved November 15, 2015

Popkin, B. M., DAnci, K. E., & Rosenberg, I. H. (2010). Water, Hydration, and Health. U.S. National
Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health , 439-558. Retrieved November 15, 2015
Rolls, B. (2013). What If I Can't Drink 8 Glasses of Water A Day? Advanced Purification Engineering
Corp. Retrieved November 12, 2015, from
http://www.freedrinkingwater.com/water_health/health1/1-drink-eight-glasses-water-daily.htm
Ruxton, D. (2000). Tea or Water? Or Both? Advanced Purification Engineering Corp. Retrieved
November 12, 2015 , from http://www.freedrinkingwater.com/water_health/health1/1-tea-orwater.htm
Watson, S. (2013). Benefit of Drinking Green Tea: The Proof Is In . Harvard Health Publications .
Retrieved November 10, 2015, from
http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/benefit_of_drinking_green_tea
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