5 White Tea Benefits for Your Health That Make It Worth Adding to Your Rotation

Matcha and turmeric lattes have dominated the imaginations of mainstream wellness for years thanks to their potent benefits and colorful, inherently-Instagrammable nature. But one healthy drink has sat quietly out of the spotlight, underappreciated but no less beneficial: white tea.

“White tea, like green tea, comes from the camellia sinesis plant, but is different in taste and caffeine content since its delicate leaves are harvested early, when the leaves are still buds,” says Kelly Jones, RD. Basically, it’s the shy cousin of green tea—and it’s ready for its turn in the spotlight.

White tea is slightly lower in caffeine than green and black tea, offering around 30 milligrams per eight ounces. (For context, black tea contains 47 milligrams of caffeine per serving, matcha has 30 to 70 milligrams, and green tea contains between 35 to 45 milligrams.) White tea also has a milder flavor than most black or green teas due to the nature of its immature leaves, so it could be more desirable for those who avoid stronger teas.

Aside from the basics, white tea has several benefits that make it an excellent option when you want to switch up your healthy beverage routine. Here are a few benefits to keep in mind.

5 white tea benefits for brain health, bone health, and more:

1. It’s good for cognitive health

White tea is rich in the amino acid l-theanine (almost as much as green tea), a compound that is associated with calm and improved focus. In a small study, consuming two grams of white tea improved study participants’ focus and performance on an examination—but more research needs to be done to confirm these benefits.

“Some studies have shown white tea to have, on average, slightly more phytochemical catechins than green tea, even though these are the antioxidants green tea is well known for,” adds Jones. These catechins, aka a specific kind of compound found in tea with antioxidant properties, have been linked with a host of health benefits, including the potential to combat neurodegenerative diseases.

2. It can fight inflammation

Like other teas, white tea is high in antioxidants—particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which important for combatting the effects of inflammation and oxidative stress. “EGCG is a phytochemical antioxidant known for its role in metabolism and inflammatory processes, helping to maintain energy levels and appropriate body processes for long-term health,” Jones says. The catechins in white tea are also anti-inflammatory, adds Jones, “which can be helpful for the recovery of stressed out muscles after a tough workout.” But more research is needed specifically on the catechins in white tea itself to further confirm this benefit. “There is promise due to studies on other foods containing these compounds,” she says.

3. It’s good for bone health

White tea also contains manganese, which helps the body release energy from carbohydrates and proteins. Manganese also supports bone health, which is important for lowering the risk of osteoporosis with age. Enjoy white tea with other foods high in manganese, like sweet potatoes, lima beans, mussels, tofu, and chickpeas, among others.

4. It may help reduce the risk of cancer as part of a healthy lifestyle

While some cancer is unavoidable due to genetics, many plant foods have phytochemical antioxidants that help protect the cells from damage that could otherwise progress to cancer, Jones. “White tea’s antioxidant polyphenols are suggested to be anti-carcinogenic, but it’s important to remember an overall healthful diet, along with exercise and avoiding smoking, are also important for cancer prevention,” she says.

5. It may support healthy blood sugar control

You may want to give white tea a chance if you struggle with blood sugar management. “While not specific to white tea, consumption of teas from the camellia sineses plant has been associated with protective effects in those with diabetes,” says Jones. Be sure to ask your doctor for approval first to ensure that it doesn’t conflict with other treatment for diabetes you are receiving.

Want to learn more about healthy drinks? Here’s everything to know about green tea and matcha:

How to enjoy white tea

Good news—there is no downside to drinking white tea in moderation, says Jones. “As with any tea, limiting to three cups per day is advisable so as to not take in an excess of any phytochemicals that are still being researched and do not yet have status as a nutrient with known upper limit levels,” she says. Plus, while white tea has less caffeine than green or black teas, it still has caffeine—which, in excess, can increase anxiety levels, disrupt sleep patterns, and give you the runs.

Enjoy it cold for an iced tea, or hot as a latte with almond, coconut, or oat milk. It’s a simple tea—so enjoy it with simple ingredients too.

In addition to drinking it hot or cold, Jones suggests using it in your skin-care routine because of its anti-inflammatory properties. You can find it in certain lotions and skin-care products or ask your derm for some recommendations.

The bottom line: White tea, like other teas, is absolutely a healthy, anti-inflammatory beverage you can enjoy in moderation. If you like how it tastes, you should absolutely incorporate it into your daily drinking rituals.

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Can't Lose That Belly Fat? Here's Why...

 

Most people know that exercise is an important factor in natural weight loss, but the wrong kind of exercise for certain people may actually be preventing them from losing fat! People who carry most of their excess weight in the lower abdomen in the form of the pendulous sagging fat deposit below the waistline can exercise too much and/or too hard and actually interfere with their ability to lose weight.

The adrenals are small glands that sit on top of the kidneys ("adrenal" translates to "on top of the kidney"). Alhough they are small, the adrenal glands are powerful organs and produce hormones involved in many functions. The most familiar of the adrenal horomones is probably adrenaline (also called epinephrine). You may already be familar with the function of adrenaline, which mobilizes the body for action by increasing heart rate, elevating blood pressure and respiration, and by increasing circulation to the body's muscles. Adrenaline also promotes the burning of fat for energy, so adrenal function can promote weight loss during short periods of physical or even emotional stress.

The adrenal glands produce another hormone that can promote weight gain though. This hormone is called cortisol, and it tends to cause the storage of fat in the lower abdomen. Unlike adrenaline which is produced for only short periods of time, the adrenal glands can produce cortisol long-term. This means that any fat-burning effects from adrenaline will be overcome in the long-run by the fat-storing effects of cortisol. From a survival standpoint, cortisol serves the purpose of providing emergency storage of fat for energy when the body is under stress for a long period of time. This storage of fat in the lower abdomen will provide energy and keep a person alive if he or she must endure long periods living under harsh and physically demanding conditions. The problem is, mental/emotional stress will elevate cortisol levels too, and for individuals who lead particularly stressful lives, the continued high cortisol levels will likely stimulate lower belly fat deposition.

So what does this have to do with exercise? Well, for someone who is under chronic emotional stress and whose adrenal glands are constantly overworked, their cortisol production is already high and their ability to produce adrenaline has been largely exhausted. If you add a lot of strenuous exercise into the mix, the result is more cortisol production. As the cortisol levels increase, there is a greater and greater tendency to store fat in the lower abdomen.

Many people in this situation who are determined to lose weight will see their inability to lose weight as an indication that they need to exercise harder and more often. These people may be able to continue to lose weight in general, because if you are burning more calories than you take in, you will lose weight, but they never are able to eliminate that lower belly fat. So they work out even harder, but the belly fat remains - and they become more and more fatigued and actually begin to lose strength in the muscles of the arms and legs.

Why would somone lose strength in the muscles in the arms and legs? Exercise is used to strenghten and develop muscle, isn't it? Well, cortisol not only stores fat in the lower abdomen, it also stimulates the breakdown of muscle and other tissue to use for immediate energy needs. So the more determined a person is to exercise away the belly fat, the more cortisol is produced, and as we said a moment ago, if you burn more calories than you take in, you will lose weight, only in this case the weight being lost is muscle and not fat!

The result is a downward spiral of fatigue, loss of muscle mass and strength, and sometimes the development of joint problems as the body eats it's own tissues for energy - but there's no reduction in that lower abdomen fat deposit that the body holds in reserve.

So what should a person with this problem do to lose that lower stomach "pooch"? Well, first of all it is important to figure out if you actually fall into this category, because with the exception of someone who has high cortisol production and overworked adrenals, vigorous exercise is still one of the most effective weight loss measures one can take.

Someone with a high cortisol problem will have a certain collection of signs and symptoms. First, as we've mentioned several times already, the excess weight is deposited almost exclusively in the lower abdomen. The weight would create a sagging area just below the waistline. As we've already stated, there may be loss of muscle in the arms and legs, and this might be visibly noticable, or it may manifest simply as an inability to build strength in these muscles. In addition, people with adrenal fatigue and high cortisol may have a collection of symptoms that could include chronic fatigue, cravings for salty foods, a need for caffeine or other stimulants just to stay awake during the day, swelling in the lower legs, dizziness when arising quickly from a seated position, numerous arthritic problems, cramps in the calves at night, and waking up frequently in the middle of the night.

If you do fall into this category of adrenal fatigue / high cortisol, exercise is still important, but you want the kind of exercise that helps you to handle stress, not exercise that creates additional stress. For someone with overworked adrenals, the best type of exercise is relatively low-intensity aerobic exercise for 30 to 60 minutes about 3 times per week. This is exercise you can do without getting out of breath and without feeling fatigued afterwards. Among the options for this type of exercise are walking, bicycling, swimming, yoga, tai chi, and low-intensity aerobics. 

Exercising outdoors seems to be particularly beneficial for stress reduction, and subsequently cortisol reduction, at least when there are no extremes of temperature to deal with. In addition to going to a lower-intensity type of exercise, it is important to make sure to eat enough protein to maintain muscle mass. This is easily accomplished by most people, but if you've been drastically cutting calories to lose weight, you are probably actually working against yourself. 

Just 3 to 4 ounces of meat, fish, eggs, or dairy three times per day is sufficient to spare your muscle. If you are a vegan, just make sure to eat plenty of beans, nuts, seeds, and other high-protein foods. If you've been working out like crazy to try to get rid of that belly fat, but all you've managed to accomplish was feeling tired, weak, and sore, by reducing the intensity of your workouts and controlling stress better, you'll likely find that the belly fat gradually shrinks away and you'll look and feel great!