For Chinese people, drinking tea for health preservation is a tradition passed down for thousands of years. In recent years, more and more research has been conducted on the health benefits of tea: cancer prevention, cardiovascular protection, radiation resistance... It seems that all health risks in people's lives can be resolved with a cup of tea. So, what nutrients are actually in tea, can it truly have health-preserving effects, and how should it be consumed to maximize its benefits?

Currently, the relatively well-established health benefits of tea include preventing cancers (such as lung, esophageal, liver, and colon cancer), regulating blood lipids, lowering blood sugar, enhancing immune function, and mitigating damage caused by smoking.

Drinking tea can repair DNA damage caused by smoking, and the effect is very good. This is a conclusion we reached through human experiments, which is also considered relatively leading worldwide. There is a lot of research on tea globally, but most are animal experiments using tea extracts. We conducted human experiments using brewed tea, proving that people can obtain such benefits by consistently drinking tea correctly in their daily lives.

Tea contains various effective nutrients, such as the well-known tea polyphenols, as well as theanine, vitamins, caffeine, etc. According to processing principles, Chinese tea is divided into six major categories: green tea, black tea, yellow tea, white tea, oolong tea, and dark tea. Later, some reprocessed teas, such as scented tea, were developed based on these six categories. Different teas contain different effective components and thus have varying effects.

Green tea protects cardiovascular health. Green tea is non-fermented, with representatives like West Lake Longjing, Dongting Biluochun, and Huangshan Maofeng. Its main benefits include preventing cancer and cardiovascular diseases, as well as antioxidant properties, boosting immunity, and inhibiting/killing bacteria.

White tea alleviates anxiety. Tea classification includes two types. One is the familiar Anji white tea, which is actually a type of green tea. It has become increasingly popular in recent years due to its milder taste compared to regular green tea. Jiang Heyuan says the main benefits of white tea include protecting brain nerves, enhancing memory, and reducing anxiety. Additionally, the theanine in white tea can neutralize some of the effects of caffeine, making it suitable for those concerned about tea affecting their sleep. The other type is white tea from Fuding, Fujian. This tea has relatively low production, a stronger taste than typical green tea, and current research suggests it has good effects on regulating immunity and lowering blood sugar.

Oolong tea and black tea lower cholesterol. Oolong tea is semi-fermented, with representative varieties including Wuyi Rock Tea (Da Hong Pao), Tieguanyin, Dongding Oolong Tea, and Phoenix Dan Cong. Black tea is fully fermented, with representatives like Anhui's Keemun, Yunnan's Dianhong, and the world-renowned teas from India and Sri Lanka. Due to fermentation, black tea is less stimulating than green tea and has different benefits, such as promoting blood circulation and lowering cholesterol.

Dark tea aids weight loss and fat reduction. Dark tea is post-fermented, with the most familiar being Pu'er tea. It contains high levels of tea polyphenols, which have excellent lipid-lowering and weight-loss effects. According to reports, Professor Bernard Jacotot from Henri Mondor Hospital in Paris had 20 patients with high blood lipids drink 3 bowls of Yunnan Pu'er tea daily for a month and found their blood fat reduced by almost 1/4. Japan's "Health" magazine also reported that Pu'er tea can inhibit weight gain and reduce cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood.

Some premium teas, like Mingqian tea (pre-Qingming tea) among Longjing teas, contain the same types of effective components as ordinary tea, though the amounts may differ. Mingqian tea, harvested early, has higher levels of theanine and vitamin C but lower tea polyphenol content. "For health preservation purposes, there's no need to buy particularly expensive tea." As for which tea is the most nutritious, experts believe that the total amount of polyphenols is roughly similar across teas. However, because green tea has the simplest processing, its nutrients are preserved more completely.