Black Tea: A Natural De-stresser

Black tea, a cocktail of complex ingredients, helps de-stress the body, reveal researchers of a new study. Regular intake of black tea cuts down on cortisol levels, a stress hormone, in blood and can even avert heart attacks.

The study conducted at the University College London, reported that tea drinkers exhibited a greater feeling of relaxation after performing tasks designed to raise stress levels.

The study took up 75 male volunteers who were regular tea takers. These were then segregated into two groups and were monitored for six weeks in a row.

The volunteers were asked to quit their normal tea, coffee and caffeinated beverages before the study initiated.

One group was then given a fruit-flavored caffeinated tea mixture made up of the constituents of an average cup of black tea, while the other group was served with a replica of black tea which lacked active tea ingredients.

Participants were unaware as to whether they were drinking the original black tea or its replica.

On completion of six weeks, a series of tests were performed by the participants. These tests were designed to raise their stress levels.

Researchers noticed an identical rise in levels of stress, blood pressure and heart rate in both groups immediately after tests.

However, samples collected 50 minutes after test reported a 47% fall in cortisol level in original tea drinkers, while a 27% fall in stress hormone was reported by replica tea drinkers.

Moreover, blood platelet activation was found to be lower in tea drinkers (Higher the blood platelet activation, higher the risk of heart attacks). Black tea drinkers also reported a higher relaxtation effect.

Andrew Steptoe, of UCL's department of Epidemiology and Public Health said, "Although it does not appear to reduce the actual levels of stress we experience, tea does seem to have a greater effect in bringing stress hormone levels back to normal."

Though the experts were unable to locate which ingredient was responsible for this de-stressing activity, the study concludes that ingredients like catechins, polyphenols, flavonoids and amino acids all affected neurotransmitters present in the brain.