In China, the number of smokers has reached over 300 million, consuming more than 1.5 trillion cigarettes annually, accounting for over 30% of the world's total consumption. 70% of middle-aged men in China smoke, and one person dies from smoking every minute.
From a health perspective, quitting smoking is imperative. For those who still find it difficult to quit smoking, drinking tea is the best way to reduce the harm caused by smoking. This is because components such as tea polyphenols and vitamin C in tea leaves can degrade various harmful substances contained in cigarettes. Drinking tea while smoking allows toxins to be continuously neutralized and excreted through feces. Regular tea drinking for smokers mainly offers four benefits:
Can reduce the possibility of smoking-induced cancer
Cigarette smoke contains over 4,000 chemical substances. Long-term smoking can not only lead to lung cancer but also esophageal cancer, laryngeal cancer, pancreatic cancer, and kidney cancer. Studies indicate that genetic mutations caused by smoking are a direct cause of tumors.
Drinking dark tea has anti-cancer effects. Tea polyphenols in tea can inhibit the release of free radicals and control the proliferation of cancer cells. Free radicals are a group of harmful "waste" produced during the body's respiratory metabolism while consuming oxygen. They exist in almost every cell of the human body and are a major hidden danger and "time bomb." Research shows that free radicals are also an important cause of genetic mutations and cancer. Normally, the body maintains a dynamic balance between the continuous production and elimination of free radicals.
When tea polyphenols enter the human body, they can bind with carcinogens, decompose them, reduce their carcinogenic activity, and thereby inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Studies indicate that dark tea is rich in anti-cancer substances at concentrations high enough to produce anti-cancer effects in the body. Therefore, drinking tea helps smokers reduce the occurrence of cancer.
Can reduce radiation pollution caused by smoking
According to estimates by Dr. Joseph DiFranza of the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in the USA, a person who smokes 30 cigarettes a day receives radiation from radioactive substances in cigarettes in their lungs over a year equivalent to about 300 chest X-rays. Drinking tea can effectively prevent radioactive substances from invading the bone marrow and rapidly excrete strontium-90 and cobalt-60 from the body. Catechins and lipopolysaccharides in tea can reduce the harm of radiation to the human body and significantly protect hematopoietic function. Clinical trials using tea tablets to treat mild radiation sickness caused by radiation showed a total effective rate of up to 90%.
Can prevent and treat cataracts caused by smoking
Scientific research has found that smoking is becoming a major enemy of eye health and can promote cataracts. Researchers at Harvard Medical School found that compared to those who never smoke, people who smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day are twice as likely to develop cataracts. The greater the amount smoked, the higher the possibility of cataracts. In China, 4% of people with unexplained blindness are due to smoking.
Patients with cataracts often have very low plasma concentrations of carotene, with an incidence rate 3-4 times higher than normal. Tea contains much higher carotene than general vegetables and fruits. Carotene not only prevents cataracts and protects the eyes but also has anti-cancer, anti-nicotine, and detoxifying effects. Drinking tea is beneficial for smokers to protect their eyesight.
Can replenish vitamin C depleted by smoking
Smoking can cause vitamin C in human serum to combine with oxidative carcinogens in smoke, such as carbon monoxide, nitrosamines, nicotine, and formaldehyde, transforming them into non-toxic compounds or non-mutagenic substances excreted from the body. This greatly reduces vitamin C content, leading to a large accumulation of free radicals—the body's "garbage"—posing hidden dangers and exacerbating damage to various normal cells by free radicals.
Tea is relatively rich in vitamin C, especially dark tea. Under normal conditions, the leaching rate of vitamin C in tea can reach about 80%, and vitamin C in tea soup is rarely destroyed even at 90°C. Smokers can intake an appropriate amount of vitamin C by drinking tea, especially by persistently drinking dark tea, which can fully compensate for the vitamin C deficiency caused by smoking. This helps maintain the dynamic balance of free radical production and elimination in the body and enhances resistance.
In summary, although drinking tea has certain benefits for smokers, it does not mean one can smoke recklessly because tea can alleviate some harms of smoking.
On the contrary, the harm caused by smoking is enormous and tragic both for individuals and society. Therefore, quitting smoking is the general trend and a wise choice. Drinking tea can only serve as a remedial measure during the quitting process to minimize the harm of smoking as much as possible. For your health, completely quitting smoking is our ultimate goal.
Tea counteracts tobacco toxins. Do you drink dark tea?
Source: Chinese Tea Culture Knowledge