What Is Oolong Tea And What Makes It One Of The Best Teas?
Oolong tea is a traditional Chinese tea. This tea is made from the same plant as the other teas are made worldwide. The only difference is that the leaves are processed differently to produce this tea. The process is called oxidation, and this occurs when the leaves are exposed to air, and they ferment and give out the specific color, flavor, and nutritional content to the oolong tea.
Oolong tea is something between green and black tea. Green tea is unoxidized and retains some of the antioxidants, whereas black tea is fully oxidized and has a deeper color. Oolong tea is not fully oxidized.
Top Five Health Benefits
Oolong tea contains a variety of antioxidants. Antioxidants protect your body cells from damage caused by environmental toxins, lifestyle, and aging. Unfortunately, this oxidative stress ultimately contributes to many chronic diseases. Studies have shown that oolong tea has more potent antioxidant and anti-mutagenic power than green or black teas.
Oolong tea offers the following health benefits:
- Reduces the risk of heart diseases:
It reduces the risk of heart diseases and improves heart health. This is because oolong tea activates an enzyme responsible for breaking down triglycerides in your blood. Triglycerides are fat that contributes to the thickening of artery walls. Thickened artery walls increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other diseases. Oolong tea helps to break down these fats and stops their accumulation within your arteries.
- Lowers risk of diabetes:
Oolong tea can potentially lower your risk of diabetes and consequently lower your blood sugar levels.
- Helps in weight management:
Oolong tea reduces body weight by decreasing body fat and boosting metabolism. In this way, it reduces the risk of developing obesity and other complications due to excessive weight gain. Studies reveal that oolong tea helps in burning fat and the calories you consume daily by up to 3.4%
- Provides nutritional vitamins and minerals:
Oolong tea also contains many health-boosting vitamins and minerals. So you can regard it as a nutritional pack too. Moreover, oolong tea contains fluoride in exact amounts as the dentists recommend to prevent cavities. It also reduces the risk of oral cancer and tooth loss. Oolong tea also has other nutrients, including magnesium, sodium, potassium, manganese, and niacin.
- Provides cognitive support:
Oolong tea contains high levels of an amino acid called theanine. These amino acids have been shown to provide cognitive effects like improved sleep patterns, brain activity, and reduced anxiety and stress levels.
Nutritional Status Of Oolong Tea
On cup of oolong tea contains:
- Carbohydrates: 0.36 grams
- Fats: 0 grams
- Proteins: 0 grams
- Fiber: 0 grams
- Sugar: 0 grams
Bibliography
15 Unique Benefits of Oolong Green Tea. (2019, October 28). Retrieved from Simple Loose Leaf: https://simplelooseleaf.com/blog/oolong-tea/oolong-tea-benefits/
Jessica DiGiacinto and Alina Petre, M. (2021, July 23). What is Oolong Tea and What Benefits Does It Have? Retrieved from Healthline: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/oolong-tea-benefits
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