SUP UP A CUP, FELLA’S!

“Why does man kill? He kills for food.

And not only food: frequently there must be beverage.”

-Woody Allen

Winter daft hits my face (and the rest of the body) and the icy daft chills my spine, as I come out of my cozy blanket. Early winter mornings are real challenge and the first thing I do, is keep a pot of tea for boiling. The aroma of tea brew refreshes me out of slumber and the hot vapors spreads warmth throughout my body. I am all for beverages favorite being both tea and coffee (I like tea in mornings and coffee accompanies in the evenings) and this time of the year, they become saviors, knight in armors.  All over the world people start their day with a cup of tea or coffee, for sum it’s just a habit while others are totally addicted to it. There also are quite handfuls who don’t indulge themselves into the delightful of either. (Their liberalization confounds me greatly, for I am totally a salve.)

Like everything we eat or drink is gauged by its advantages, beverages like coffee and tea are also not off radar. Extensive researches have been conducted to point out the health benefits of coffee and tea individually. Tea and coffee are similar and yet diverse, just like cousins and both no doubt have huge fan followings.  A lot of debate and discussions are focused on which is healthier: tea or coffee.

Caffeine is a chemical compound, more specifically a xanthine alkaloid, found both in tea and coffee and also in chocolates but to a very lesser extent. The main attribute of tea and coffee that makes them so appealing and loved it the stimulant effect, refreshing effect, conferred by caffeine.  Caffeine is used, worldwide as a psychoactive drug and unlike other drugs its sale is unregulated and legal. Caffeine, about 5mg/kg body weight is used for asthmatics as it brings about a mild dilation of the bronchioles of the lungs, slightly improving lung function.

When a person is in a wakeful state, a small amount of adenosine is present in the neurons of the central nervous system. As the time passes the levels of adenosine increase and bind to specific adenosine receptors stationed on the neurons of the central nervous system, and evokes a cellular response which leads to sleep- an important metabolic function. When caffeine rich beverages are consumed, caffeine binds to these receptors leaving no scope for adenosine to interact, thereby prevents drowsiness and restores a state of alertness.

Coffee and tea helps relieve headaches is a common believe and this belief is not entirely baseless as caffeine does alleviate headaches and migraines as it constricts the blood vessels in the brain.  This property of caffeine makes it efficient to overcome hangovers too.  Studies states that caffeine increases the metabolic rate by 3-11% and also aids in burning fat. Most of the commercially available weight loss supplements tend to contain caffeine as an ingredient.  A strong cup of coffee before exercise will compliment your efforts by breaking down fat to be used as fuel.

As every coin has two sides, caffeine doesn’t come without disadvantages. The flip side is that too much of caffeine leads to increased anxiety, insomnia, tachycardia (increase in heart rate) heart palpitation, restlessness and nausea. Further it can interfere with many nutrients of importance like calcium and iron.  Excessive caffeine consumption has been linked to increased psychological disorders and a tendency to develop an addiction, which can be harmful.

Coffee is a brew prepared from the seeds of evergreen shrub generally, Coffea Arabica and Coffea Robusta.  Coffee along with caffeine is also packed with antioxidants which are found to be useful against many diseases, by reducing the tissue damage caused by free radicals, produced as chemical reactions in the body are carried out. Coffee contains minerals like manganese and chromium which increases the sensitivity of cells to the insulin action thereby minimizes the threat of type 2 diabetes.

Coffee has been found to be protective against two main types of cancers namely, colorectal and liver. However these results are inconclusive and still subjected to scrutiny. A study by Harvard school of public heath states that Coffee lowers risk of developing depression. A small amount of coffee if consumed during pregnancy doesn’t jeopardize the developing baby as it has been wrongly conceived. Coffee acts as a diuretic, increases urination and also causes heart burn aka acidity.

Coffee shields against development of neurological disorder like Parkinson’s.  These results however were not seen in the decaffeinated infusion. Decaffeination is a process the coffee seeds go through while they are still green in color. The caffeine from the coffee beans is removed using solvents to dissolve caffeine containing oils.

The coffee sold commercially is roasted and ground. The high roasting temperatures Caramelize sugar imparting a brown color to the seed. The coffee drink is prepared by dissolving the roasted ground coffee in water long enough for flavors to infuse but not allowing bitter compounds to seep in. To sum it all, as quoted by the Harvard school of public health, coffee as such doesn’t have great health benefits nor does it have any serious health implications.

Tea is a concoction prepared from the leaves of the shrub, Camellia Sinensis. These leaves after harvest wilt and oxidize and the degree of oxidation that occurs gives us the variety in tea, ranging from green to black to white. Green tea, the tea leaves here are unwilted and unoxidized; White tea wherein the leaves are wilted but un-oxidized and, in black tea the leaves are wilted and fully oxidized. Herbal teas are not actually tea, but a mixture of herbs and spices without tea leaves called ‘tisane’.

After water tea is the most widely consumed beverage, possessing refreshing and soothing qualities. Caffeine content of tea is much lower to that of coffee, about 30-90 mg in a 250 ml cup of tea. In addition to caffeine, tea also contains theobromine and theophylline; both are xanthenes and stimulants similar to caffeine. Tea, black or green doesn’t contain any significant amount of nutrients other than a good amount of mineral called manganese and polyphenolic compounds called flavonoids, in abundance.

Flavonoids are antioxidants and are mostly responsible for the profound health benefits of tea. Flavonoids have been referred to as "nature's biological response modifiers". They show anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-cancer activity.  The most prominent is the epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). This EGCG has been proved to be effective in preventing neurological disorder like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.  Further flavonoids also inhibit the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis; reducing the risk any kind of heart related disease. EGCG is found in larger quantities in green tea.

The flavonoids of tea along with their anti-cancer activity also reduce the risk of development of type 2 diabetes by increasing the cells response to insulin. Looking on the flipside, tea doesn’t seem to have an adverse effect on health, other than the tannins which interfere with the iron absorption. This minor difficulty can be easily managed by avoiding iron rich foods with tea. Dieticians believe that any tea is good tea and you surely get a good measure of health in a cup of tea.

To wrap up the debate, it doesn’t matter which one is better as long as you take either of them in controlled quantities, remember balancing is the key.  It’s not about ‘what is healthy?’ always, sometimes it’s what you need and like. So if you love coffee or tea, well stay in love. They may not do much good but they don’t harm either. Eat smart and keep your muscles moving, relax and snug up the winters with a mug full of warmth.

“To rise and shine, and swell like seas,

Never mind a cup of coffee or tea,

Brewed bitter or sweet, light or strong,

With a cup or two, nothing goes wrong”

To healthy living!!