Health Benefits of Black Tea Vs Green Tea - Why Does Green Tea Get All the Research Attention?
The highly popular Black Tea, unlike it’s famous cousin Green Tea, has many health benefits that go unrecognized. While both green tea and black tea have excellent health benefits, over 90% of scientific research is focused on green tea. Why is green tea more popular than black tea for scientific research when black tea is more consumed than green tea?
Research and Health Benefits of Black Tea vs Green Tea
Over 80% of tea research focuses exclusively on green tea with half of the remaining research looking at green and black tea together
Less than 10% of tea research looks at only black tea
75% of all tea drinks world wide and 84% of all tea drinks in the US use black tea (including chai tea)
Green tea makes up another 20% of world wide tea consumption and 15% of US tea consumption
Oolong, white, and herbal teas make up the remaining 5% of world wide and 1% of US tea consumption
Caffeinated drinks are consumed by 80% of Earth’s population with black tea being the 2nd most popular drink on Earth after water.
Black tea contains high concentrations of the antioxidant compounds theaflavins and thearubigins as well as green tea’s anticancer compound EGCG (half the amount as in green tea)
Theaflavins and thearubigins, antioxidants unique to black tea, are formed from combining the antioxidants in green tea into more complex structures during the process that makes black tea from green tea
Green tea has 1.5 times the total number of antioxidants as black tea. In spite of the oxidation process required to make black tea, black tea still is rich in antioxidants.
Black tea is most consumed around the world, but green tea is the most focused on for tea research
Consumption vs Research of Green Tea and Black Tea
Black tea accounts for 75% of global tea consumption and 80% of US tea consumption. According to the World Tea Export Council, this makes black tea the most consumed beverage on Earth (excluding water). Green tea makes up 20% of worldwide tea consumption and 15% of US tea consumption.
Meanwhile, according to our survey of over 250 published research papers, 82% of tea research focuses exclusively on green tea, and half the remaining tea research (9% of the total research) looks at green tea and black tea together.
Black tea accounts for 75% of global tea consumption and only 18% of tea research. Green tea, on the other hand, makes up 20% of world wide tea consumption and gets 91% of the tea research focus.
EGCG’s Anticancer Benefits in Green Tea and Black Tea
The majority of scientific research on tea’s health benefits focuses on green tea due to green tea’s higher concentrations of the miracle compound EGCG (Epigallocatechin-3-gallate). Much of the anticancer research around tea focuses on EGCG as it may provide a new and safe treatment for cancer, as well as neurological disorders, weight loss, and more. While EGCG is strongest in green tea at concentrations of 25-106 mg/cup, half that concentration of EGCG remains in black tea, comprising 11% (12-53 mg/cup) of a black tea drink.
So, EGCG can be found in both green and black tea, but what are the health benefits of EGCG that make it so important? Studies have found EGCG to fight the formation and growth of lung cancer, reduce risk of colon cancer, and prevent and slow the growth of breast cancer. Other studies have found EGCG protects against cancer formation in the oral cavity, esophagus, stomach, liver, prostate, and other organs. EGCG is highly effective at fighting cancer because it interferes with multiple cancer growth mechanisms within the body, slowing cancer’s advance at every turn.
Additionally, EGCG in black tea and green tea is an antioxidant, protecting cells from free radical damage. Free radical damage left unchecked can initiate cancer. Further, another study found EGCG to have multiple beneficial effects beyond cancer prevention. These effects include anti-apoptosis (preventing cell death) in healthy cells, protection from neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s, chelating (removal) of toxic metals from the body, and more. Also, a meta review of 15 scientific papers found EGCG in tea supports weight loss.
Further, EGCG is not only an antioxidant, but also helps other antioxidants work better. For example, GSH-Px is an enzyme that acts as one of the body’s natural antioxidants. This enzyme, GSH-Px, after working as an antioxidant once, is exhausted and ceases to neutralize free radicals until it is restored to work as an antioxidant by other enzymes. These restoring enzymes are boosted by EGCG to work faster and more effectively, making GSH-Px a more effective antioxidant than it would be without EGCG’s help.
Antioxidants in Green Tea and Black Tea
In addition to the antioxidant EGCE, green tea includes several similar polyphenol compounds including Epigallocatechin (EGC), Epicatechin-3-gallate (ECG), and Epicatechin (EC). Black tea’s oxidation process consumes the EGC, ECG, and EC as well as half the EGCG to form new antioxidants. These new antioxidants, specially found in black tea, are theaflavins and thearubigins.
The complex polyphenol structures of theaflavins and thearubigins are combined from the simple structures in green tea. Even though these theaflavins and thearubigins are products of oxidation reactions, they are still antioxidant nutrients which have been demonstrated to be as effective at scavenging free radicals as EGCG and ECG. However, because black tea’s antioxidants are combinations of several of green tea’s antioxidant structures, green tea has 1.5 times the total number of antioxidants as black tea.
Who Drinks the Most Black Tea and Who Drinks the Most Green Tea?
Black Tea Consumption by Country: Top 5 Black Tea Drinking Countries
Turkey
Ireland
United Kingdom
Russia
Morocco
Green Tea Consumption by Country: Top 5 Green Tea Drinking Countries
China who consume half the green tea around the world
Japan
Vietnam
Indonesia
India
And a side note, Argentina has the world’s highest tea consumption per capita. While the USA does not make the top 5, we are still major tea drinkers, consuming 3.8 billion gallons of tea per year with half the US population drinking tea on any given day. While older generations in the US prefer coffee, younger generations are split 50/50 between coffee and tea. If this trend continues, tea will win out as the drink of choice in the US. So much for the Bostan Tea Party.
The World’s Favorite Superfood
In the end, the popularity of black tea makes it the clear favorite around the world. It has the same anti-cancer properties as green tea as well as its own unique antioxidants. It is unfortunate that black tea’s health benefits have thus far been mostly overlooked by the scientific community, but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out. Take advantage of all of black tea’s health benefits for yourself.
About the Author
As a chemical engineer, Spencer Lane, Chai Hous’ Chief Brewing Officer, is fascinated with the chemistry of health. Researching what causes sickness led him to understand how nutrition plays a critical role in every day health. Based on his research on chai spices, he feels he has discovered the alchemical elixir of life, or, as a sci fi fan, the Spice. “The most precious substance in the universe is the spice mélange… The spice extends life.” – Frank Herbert, Dune