From a health perspective, which is better, coffee or tea?

Which is better for your health, coffee or tea? The scientific answer is that coffee (without sugar or other ingredients, the same below) is definitely better, because a lot of research evidence has been accumulated to support the health benefits of drinking coffee, including but not limited to reducing the risk of many chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (atherosclerosis, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, etc.), Alzheimer's disease, gout and certain tumors. In contrast, there is much less research evidence that drinking tea is good for your health, especially the lack of high-quality scientific research evidence. Of course, this comparison also has a less "scientific" side, because there are fewer studies on tea drinking, so there is less evidence that it is good for your health.

But no matter what, the research evidence supporting the health benefits of drinking coffee is so sufficient that it far exceeds that supporting drinking tea. It is simply overwhelming. Drinking coffee has not only been included in the "Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015" as part of a healthy lifestyle, but also given quantitative recommendations, namely 200-400 mg of caffeine per day (3-5 cups of coffee). What about drinking tea? Although it is also included in the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents 2016", it is only listed as a way to replenish water on a par with plain water, and there is no way to give quantitative recommendations. How much tea is good to drink every day? At present, there is not enough research evidence to give scientific quantitative recommendations. We can only say 3-5 grams of tea leaves per day based on experience (people who grow tea, sell tea, drink tea, and study tea may have different experiences). In addition, there are many varieties of tea, but the health benefits of different teas do not seem to vary greatly (based on current research evidence).

The original intention of drinking coffee is to refresh the mind, make the brain excited, and maintain a better physical condition, but people also worry that it will harm health (in the past, there were many suggestions to drink less coffee). Now, not only do we not have to worry about the harm, but we can also reap the health benefits (within the recommended intake), which is quite wonderful. What about drinking tea? Although there has always been a saying that drinking tea is good for health, there has not been enough research evidence until now, which is a bit embarrassing.

If a person who doesn't drink coffee or tea has to choose one, then coffee is recommended for health and science. Of course, if he must choose tea, there is no reason to oppose it. I drink coffee every day and often drink tea (yes, I drink less water).

When choosing what to drink, you also need to consider your own physical condition. Some people are particularly sensitive to coffee, and they experience obvious palpitations and insomnia. In that case, they should not drink it or should drink "decaffeinated coffee" (the health benefits of decaffeinated coffee do not seem to be low); some people are more sensitive to tea, and they experience palpitations, insomnia, stomach discomfort, etc. In that case, they should not drink it or should drink very light tea. Another very important point is that you should not drink coffee or tea that is very hot (>65°C), otherwise it will increase your risk of cancer (WHO recommendation). In addition, everyone has hotly debated the presence of pesticide residues in tea, aflatoxin contamination in Pu'er, and the production of acrylamide (a Level 2 carcinogen recognized by the WHO) during coffee roasting. These issues are not discussed in this article. From this perspective, drinking boiled water is a foolproof suggestion! Otherwise, let's just drink boiled water...