Teas that Work Better than a Rejuvenating Cream

Antioxidants are substances that can protect your cells against free radicals, molecules that are produced when your body breaks down food or when exposed to tobacco smoke or sun radiation. The latter two examples are often causes of aging, so consuming antioxidants can help more than any rejuvenating cream.Antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E and carotenoids, can help protect cells from damage caused by free radicals. Other natural antioxidants include flavonoids, tannins, phenols, and lignans, with plant-based foods being the best sources. These include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices, from which many teas and infusions, and even cocoa, can be made.The health benefits of tea are a great reason to start drinking them: green and black teas have 10 times the amount of antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables, according to an estimate.What are the teas with the most antioxidants?Both green tea and black tea and oolong tea come from the same tea plant: Camellia sinensis. The difference between them is that the leaves are processed differently; while green tea leaves are not fermented, but dried and steamed, black tea and oolong tea leaves undergo a crushing and fermentation process.All teas from the camellia tea plant are rich in polyphenols, a type of wonderful antioxidant that seeks out free radicals that damage cells in the body and detoxifies them. Both black and green teas have different types of antioxidants than fruits and vegetables. Tearubigins, epicatechins, and catechins are among them, and all are considered flavonoids, a type of antioxidant, and brewed green and black teas have many of those.Some laboratory tests have shown that black tea and green tea can improve the skin, one of the human organs that most reveals age. Additionally, they help stimulate metabolism to aid in weight loss, block allergic responses, slow tumor growth, protect bones, combat bad breath, protect against Parkinson's disease, and even delay the onset of diabetes. Other small studies have found that the antioxidants included from drinking tea may help prevent skin cancer, and there is also evidence that tea extracts applied to the skin (in a lotion) can block sun damage that leads to skin cancer.Whether you prefer green tea, black tea, or oolong, drinking 6 to 10 cups of tea a day, starting with breakfast, will ensure you take advantage of the flavonoids and other antioxidants that these teas contain.