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-Short Attention Span Theater-
Beat stress, drink tea: Study
2006-10-06
Regular cups of tea can help speed recovery from stress, researchers from University College London (UCL) said yesterday. Men who drank black tea four times a day for six weeks were found to have lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol than a control group who drank a fake tea substitute, the researchers said in a study published in the journal Psychopharmacology.

The tea drinkers also reported a greater feeling of relaxation after performing tasks designed to raise stress levels. Andrew Steptoe, of UCL's department of Epidemiology and Public Health, and one of the report's authors, said the findings could have important health implications. "Slow recovery following acute stress has been associated with a greater risk of chronic illness such as coronary heart disease. "Although it does not appear to reduce the actual levels of stress we experience, tea does seem to have a greater effect in bringing stress hormone levels back to normal."
Posted by:Fred

#19  Two words:

Barefoot Coffee. Look it up on Google. The absolute finest.
Posted by: Zenster   2006-10-06 23:58  

#18  I've survived all these years, tw. Tho it has caused questions since I'm Southern (by the grace of God ;-p).

You'd be surprised (or maybe not) by the relaxation factor of a cat's purr. :-D
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2006-10-06 22:52  

#17  There are some lovely decaffeinated teas out there, for those of us who're sensitive to caffeine. Twinings does a nice decaf Earl Grey, and Celestial Seasonings has decaffeinated green tea, although lotp's excerpt says that green tea doesn't make the cut for de-stressing. ;-)

Poor Barbara. You'll just have to figure out another way to relax, I guess. Perhaps those lovely handicrafts you do. I definitely agree with you about the efficacy of diet Coke, though, taken medicinally of course.
Posted by: trailing wife   2006-10-06 22:24  

#16  I stumbled upon Starbuck's "Sumatra" ground (coffee)taken black and unsweetened about a year ago; a skoshi pricey, but superb.

I like the rituals involved in brewing hot tea; but mostly it's just a bag dipped in some nucked H2O. That bag would be Twinnings Earl Grey (if on sale) and the standard brands of Green bagged teas, which are quite nice, but are probably just some high-elevation S.W. Asia warehouse floor-sweepings. That's OK. Still quite pleasent. I've read so much good stuff about the benefits of Green tea, that I'll take my anti-oxidant chances and swill at will! (at)
Posted by: Asymmetrical Triangulation   2006-10-06 21:20  

#15  TW's right - charming indeed. ;-)
Posted by: lotp   2006-10-06 21:12  

#14  That would be lotp.
(*sighs, scruffs toe in dirt*)
Posted by: Chinter Flarong   2006-10-06 21:07  

#13  lopt: Thank you for that post. Looks like I will have to stick to the ginger tea. Four cups of black at this point would make me climb the walls.
TW: You are making a grown man blush!
Posted by: Chinter Flarong   2006-10-06 21:05  

#12  There's a chocolate tea available on the web. got all the good flavinoids and none of the fat, IIRC.
Posted by: anonymous2u   2006-10-06 19:16  

#11  that's nice and all, but what of us who are nauseated by even the smell of tea?

(don't like taste of coffee, but love the smell of it brewing)

guess we're doomed to get our caffeine from diet coke.

hmmmm. think i'll go get some more caffeine. ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2006-10-06 19:10  

#10  from one of the study authors:

Professor Andrew Steptoe, UCL Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, says: “This is one of the first studies to assess tea in a double-blind placebo controlled design – that is, neither we nor the participants knew whether they were drinking real or fake tea. This means that any differences were due to the biological ingredients of tea, and not to the relaxing situations in which people might drink tea, whether they were familiar with the taste and liked it, and so on.

“We do not know what ingredients of tea were responsible for these effects on stress recovery and relaxation. Tea is chemically very complex, with many different ingredients. Ingredients such as catechins, polyphenols, flavonoids and amino acids have been found to have effects on neurotransmitters in the brain, but we cannot tell from this research which ones produced the differences.

“Nevertheless, our study suggests that drinking black tea may speed up our recovery from the daily stresses in life. Although it does not appear to reduce the actual levels of stress we experience, tea does seem to have a greater effect in bringing stress hormone levels back to normal.”

Green teas and herbal teas did not have the same effect.
Posted by: lotp   2006-10-06 18:39  

#9  Chinter Flarong, without those numbers you are just too adorable for words! If only I hadn't met Mr. Wife first, my dear. ;-)
Posted by: trailing wife   2006-10-06 17:50  

#8  While I love a good cup of coffee, I find that over time my muscles tense up/get ropey if I drink it too often. So instead I drink herbal tea.
Posted by: remoteman   2006-10-06 16:43  

#7  EE, some people are hyper-sensitive to caffeine, as in heart arrhythmia and elevated blood pressure. Others use medications that prohibit it.

I'm brewing a second mug of English breakfast right now.
Posted by: Zenster   2006-10-06 15:47  

#6  Unfortunately yes EE, I am a human with acid-reflux. Caffine is a major trigger, if you get my drift.
I am still waiting for the Rantburg ladies to chime in!
Posted by: Chinter Flarong   2006-10-06 15:47  

#5  Can't drink caffeine? What? You are human?
Posted by: Evil Elvis   2006-10-06 13:07  

#4  And what about those of us who can't drink the caffine? Is that what is affecting the SHL, or is it something else in black tea? And if so, is that 'something else' present in other teas, like ginger tea (Yeech! Drink it anyway) or gunpowder green tea (Ymmmmm!)?

Oh and TW, please note that I took your advise. Hopefully the lack of numbers will elevate my standing in the eyes of the Rantburg ladies!
Posted by: Chinter Flarong   2006-10-06 13:04  

#3  :-)

Posted by: trailing wife   2006-10-06 12:37  

#2  Tea with a Scotch chaser maybe but tea alone dont cut it.
Posted by: BrerRabbit   2006-10-06 11:59  

#1  Paging trailing wife to the beverage aisle!
Posted by: Zenster   2006-10-06 04:16  

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