British scientists have discovered that boiling tea in a pot, compared to steeping it in boiling water, allows tea leaves to release more anti-cancer substances, resulting in better anti-cancer effects.
Research indicates that boiling tea leaves in a pot for five minutes maximizes the concentration of antioxidants, which absorb harmful substances in cancer. Drinking tea boiled for five minutes can increase antioxidant levels in the blood by 45% within an hour.
The study also found that steeping tea for longer periods does not produce more beneficial components but rather reduces them. Adding milk to tea does not affect its antioxidant properties.
("Public Health News")
Appendix:
Why is Antioxidant Important?
Simply put, natural aging and degenerative diseases, including tumors and cardiovascular diseases, share a common process: cells are damaged by oxidation from oxygen free radicals. When the body is under excessive oxidative stress, too many reactive oxygen species are formed, and antioxidants are depleted or their activity decreases. Reactive oxygen species have highly reactive single electrons that easily bind with nucleophilic DNA molecules, causing DNA oxidative damage and subsequent repair errors. This can lead to the activation of oncogenes or the inactivation of tumor suppressor genes.
Which Foods Have the Strongest Antioxidant Capacity?
Foods widely recognized for their strong antioxidant effects, such as garlic, onions, corn, spinach, and chili peppers, have far lower antioxidant activity compared to green tea and black tea. The strongest among them, onions, have only 20% antioxidant activity, while green tea has 80% and black tea has 90%. This indicates that tea has a very strong antioxidant function. Two cups of tea (300 ml) are equivalent to 7 cups of orange juice or 12 cups of beer, and also equivalent to 5 onions or 6 apples. This is based on an American experiment.
The tea polyphenols in black tea can prevent the body from oxidation through multiple pathways: ① Clearing free radicals; ② Chelating metal ions; ③ Inhibiting the activity of oxidizing enzymes; ④ Enhancing the activity of antioxidant enzymes; ⑤ Having a synergistic effect with other antioxidants; ⑥ Maintaining the concentration of antioxidants in the body.