There are as many avid coffee lovers around the world as there are tea drinkers. Both are very popular and provide health benefits. However, when it comes to coffee, there are certainly some unique benefits.
Coffee is better than tea due to its variety, availability, and health benefits. Coffee has a higher amount of antioxidants than tea, which helps reduce one’s chances of developing cancer. Coffee is also known for fighting depression, Alzheimer’s, type 2 diabetes, and dementia.
In this article, we will look at some of the most compelling reasons why coffee is better than tea. Keep reading to find out more about these factors.
Which Is Healthier – Tea or Coffee?
There is growing evidence that points to coffee being a healthier drink. The molecular action of caffeine helps improve the function of the heart cells and protects it from damage. The antioxidant content plays a role in reducing the risk of a large number of diseases and even curbing mental health diseases.
Coffee is often associated with the probability of a decreased risk of heart diseases and other cardiovascular disease, liver functions, type 2 diabetes, as well as several kinds of cancer. This is because of a specific cellular mechanism that increases the functional capacity of the cells and helps in burning more oxygen as they convert glucose into energy.
By increasing the amount of protein content in the heart cells, it is believed, coffee helps in promoting heart health. The potential health benefits of coffee are varied and myriad.
Coffee has mood-boosting effects that are also attributed to a large number of antioxidants it contains.
It Helps Avoid Depression
Having a few cups of coffee a day helps lift your mood. People who drink coffee are less likely to be depressed than those who do not. Something about this warm cup of earthy drink lifts the spirits and makes one feel less sad. Many attribute this to the huge amounts of antioxidants that coffee contains.
It Aids in Preventing Type 2 Diabetes
Coffee reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Coffee contains two compounds, namely, cafestol and caffeic acid. While cafestol increases blood sugar intake, the two compounds help increase insulin secretion, helping avoid type 2 diabetes. Additionally, these compounds are available in both caffeinated and decaf. The health benefit remains, whether you choose either of them.
It Helps Delay Dementia, Cognitive Decline and the Onset of Alzheimer’s Disease
Coffee can help stave off some of the old age problems of dementia, cognitive decline, and Alzheimer’s. Drinking coffee in moderation will help delay the onset of these diseases and considerably decrease the risk of cognitive decline.
Coffee Drinkers Live a Longer Life
Coffee drinkers tend to have a lower risk of developing heart diseases, mental disorders, and diabetes. This makes them live a longer and healthier life. It is believed that the inflammation-fighting compounds primarily found in this drink are the reason for this health benefit. However, this observation does come with a caveat of indulging in this drink in moderation.
It Helps in Reducing Weight
The high caffeine content that coffee has may accelerate your calorie burn by 5-12% for three hours after intake. This is a large window of opportunity to schedule a workout during this time and increase the number of calories burnt in the process. Coffee also contains chlorogenic acid, which resists the production of fat cells in the body.
Other Health Benefits of Coffee
Drinking coffee has a host of other health benefits associated with it. It can reduce the risk of cancer, perhaps because of its anti-inflammatory properties. It can also improve memory and increase energy levels in general.
Coffee Has a Lot of Variety and Is Easily Available
The accessibility to a drink also makes one more popular than the other. While tea and coffee are both widely available and some would say that tea has greater health benefits than coffee, coffee comes in a variety of options, and in some markets, coffee may even be more readily available than tea.
Tea drinkers often stick to one kind of tea, and sometimes it is difficult to come by that specific kind of tea in a new place. Coffee seems to be a bit more universal and so, has that working to its advantage.
There Is an Endless Variety of Ways in Which You Can Enjoy Coffee
There are many different ways in which you can take your coffee. This is more limiting with tea where the options are mostly, with or without milk or sugar. With coffee, there are different kinds of roasts available, just like there are different flavors of tea.
The long and impressive list of coffee that you see on the menu when you walk into a coffee shop is always more than tea options. There are cappuccino, mocha, latte, espresso, and so many more to choose from when it comes to coffee.
In this video, you will see coffee being brewed in six different ways:
It Is Served Everywhere
From Turkey to Texas, every other restaurant serves coffee. It is served in a neat little Americano cup for someone who needs that shot of caffeine before heading out for their day, to large cups of cappuccino for those on the go.
Coffee is drunk at the end of formal meals or when you simply want to grab a cup to catch up with a friend. The cultural versatility of this drink makes it abundant and available everywhere.
For instance, you can enjoy The AmazonFresh Colombia Ground Coffee, a full-bodied medium roast with a smooth finish, from Colombia. You can also stock up on the GEVALIA Special Reserve Papua New Guinea Medium Roast Fine Ground Coffee that comes from another country.
Coffee Provides Instant Energy
While tea has stimulants that provide gradual energy to the body, coffee provides a quicker burst of energy. Drinking coffee is especially enjoyable and helpful if you are feeling lazy on a cold rainy day.
It helps perk you up instantly as you head out to face your day. This is because of the higher caffeine content that coffee has. Tea has caffeine content as well, but not as much as coffee, and so the release of energy is slower with tea.
It Has Higher Caffeine Content Than Tea
Caffeine content may vary on the amount that you take, or factors such as, brewing time and preparation methods. Coffee contains almost double the amount of caffeine than a serving of tea. This caffeine-filled drink can ward off the risks of developing certain diseases and improve mental health and even boost athletic performance.
Other Options for Those Sensitive to High Caffeine Content
Despite all its health benefits, high caffeine content may lead to anxiety and make some people feel jittery. People sensitive to high caffeine may also suffer from impaired sleep cycles, and in some cases, it may even result in caffeine addiction.
A simple remedy in such cases is to switch over from the highly caffeinated coffee to a decaf version. It will have more or less the same health benefits of coffee minus the jitters and the interrupted sleep.
Which Is More Life-Giving: Tea or Coffee?
Coffee provides energy faster than tea. Tea does have its own set of health benefits and is often a drink of choice by many, but when it comes to providing energy, coffee acts much quicker than tea. Tea releases the energy far more slowly while coffee adds that instant burst of vigor to your day.
Coffee Comes to the Rescue When You Are in Dire Need of Energy
Imagine having a late-night party or a long weekend of binge-watching of shows on the telly that lasted till the wee hours of Monday morning. It is perhaps not the best start to your workday if you are still tired and sleep-deprived.
Many often resort to coffee in such circumstances as this drink takes them one step closer to feeling like a human again. It provides just that extra bit of help that you need to get started with your day.
Tea Releases Energy Very Slowly
Tea is lower in caffeine content when compared to coffee. It is rich in L-theanine, a powerful antioxidant that helps stimulate your brain. L-theanine increases your brain’s alpha waves, which helps reduce stress and has a calming effect on your body without making you feel drowsy.
This is unlike what coffee does. Coffee tends to provide a shot of energy that immediately wakes you and helps you with staying awake.
Conclusion
Both tea and coffee have their health benefits though, in certain circumstances, coffee seems to have a more significant impact on the health and is quicker if you are looking for an instant energy fix.
Both beverages are healthy and safe in moderation, but if you are sensitive to caffeine, you might want to look at the decaf options available. It all boils down to your personal preferences of taste, the health benefits you seek, and your level of caffeine tolerance.
Sources
- WebMD: Coffee vs. Tea: Is One Better for Your Health?
- Cheat Sheet: The Undeniable Reasons Why Coffee Is Way Better Than Tea
- Healthline: Coffee vs. Tea: Is One Healthier Than the Other?
- Thrillist: 5 Reasons Why Coffee Is Healthier Than Tea
- Amore Coffee: Why Coffee Is Better Than Tea?
- Lifehack: 10 Benefits of Drinking Tea Over Coffee
- Straits Times: Coffee vs Tea: When It Comes to Health, Which One Wins?
- Cosmopolitan: 16 Definitive Reasons Coffee Is Way Better Than Tea
- Wikipedia: Chlorogenic Acid
- Science Daily: Coffee Bean Extracts Alleviate Inflammation, Insulin resistance in mouse cells
- Alzheimers.net: 4 Surprising Benefits of Coffee
- Wikipedia: Decaffeination
- Wikipedia: Cafestol
- Wikipedia: Caffeic Acid
- Wikipedia: Type 2 Diabetes
- Europe PMC: Radioprotective and Antioxidant Action of Caffeine
- Scientific American: The Healthy Addiction? Coffee Study Finds More Health Benefits
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