Coffee vs. tea -- which one are you drinking?

by Bethany Sanders (Subscribe to Bethany Sanders's posts)
Mar 22nd 2007 2:00PM

Categories: Diet & Weight Loss, Reviews & Products, Nutrition & Supplements

If you're like many Americans, you wake up in the morning with a hot cup of coffee or a steaming mug of tea. Both drinks are brimming with healthy antioxidants and offer their own set of health benefits, so eDiets recently put together the Coffee vs. Tea Smackdown to see -- at least when it comes to health -- which drink would come out on top.

Their results? Well, tea seems to be in the lead at the moment, but coffee wasn't far behind. Here's a condensed version of their report:

Tea:

relaxes blood vessels, lowers blood pressure
may prevent: kidney stones, Alzheimer's, and cavities
may help keep bones strong

Coffee:

lowers risk of diabetes
protects against Parkinson's
linked to lower rates of colon and liver cancers
may prevent gallstones
may put certain people who don't metabolize caffeine well at higher risk of a heart attack
is linked to osteoporosis

In addition, caffeine from either beverage may help suppress your appetite. It appears that either drink is a healthy choice for most people. So let's hear it...which one are you drinking?

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Comments (24)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

mary jones 3-23-2007 @ 9:07AM

I didn't know coffee can be healthy. I take my daily Teacuppa (http://www.teacuppa.com) green tea for my skin.

This is something new about coffee. I always read coffee is bad for health!

Joseph Saucier 3-26-2007 @ 6:45AM

Well, being from MA, i always start my day with a cup or two of regla' coffee. In recent weeks, i've been cutting back on the cream tho.

Mariah 3-26-2007 @ 6:58AM

I'm a tea drinker, and having that I have to be up at like.. 4 or so (not have to.. its just kinda habitual) to go to school every morning, I have to have my cup of either iced or normal tea.

Candy 4-09-2007 @ 10:09PM

I get enough sleep at night, but I'm a college student so my day is usually mentally draining. Without a cup of coffee sometime during the day I just don't function as well. It's good to hear coffee is good for you and diabetes runs in my family so hearing that it lowers my risk is a great piece of info! I love tea also so this topic is all around good for me haha.

Joann 3-26-2007 @ 9:09AM

I drink both, coffee in the morning, usually decaf, and then I drink green tea, hot and cold, the rest of the day. So i guess I get the benefits of both

Colombian Coffee Bean 3-27-2007 @ 12:38PM

I was still a little girl when I started drinking coffee. As any proud Colombian I can tell you that there is no drink that can wake you up like a delicious and aromathic hot cup of Colombian coffee. Opposite to all the comments you hear from people, I have no health problems at all: very white and healthy teeth, no problems to sleep, or hearth problems, nothing at all. In fact, I drink cofffee and all they it keeps me active, with good mood, energetic. I have my third and last coffee of the day around 4 pm. 3 cups of coffee a day are good. Like everything: you should not exagerate in the consume of anything. Not even water. Coffee boosts your blood pressure, women are the most affected by a lower blood pressure, so heere is a delicious remedy. Cafeine is being used in body wraps for its proven benefits in fighting cellulite and helping to reduce body fat. I can only find benefits in drinking coffee.

Thomas 3-26-2007 @ 11:45AM

Coffee. Black & Bitter, baby:)

Tera Randall 3-26-2007 @ 11:08AM

Coffee, coffee coffee... I love it. Every morning my Americano or drip black coffee makes getting up at 6 a.m. worth it.

I find that I drink decafinated tea at night. It is very soothing and is a great way to wrap up your day. Try it!

Audrie 3-28-2007 @ 9:35AM

Which ONE am I drinking?
-I drink at least one cup of both green tea and coffee daily.

Gary 3-26-2007 @ 9:26PM

Niether. The benefits from both do not outweigh the risks. They both have more ingredients with more effects than are generally tracked. The small benefits that can be attributed to the drinking of either beverage can be aquired through other, less risky ways.

Tea has been touted as the great health drink, when in reality according to a recent FDA study, there has been little if any correlation to health benefits from drinking tea. It states that tea, green, black or otherwise is merely a non-toxic beverage with little in the way of health boosting effects.

Coffee (decaf or otherwise) fairs poorer in studies. But as most studies only compare health of tea drinkers with that of coffee drinkers..... (instead of either tea/coffee drinkers compared to a non-drinker)

j-man 3-26-2007 @ 4:09PM

i like tea and coffee but i like tea a bit more

ive never hear of cofee as being good for you

j-man 3-26-2007 @ 4:10PM

i like tea and coffee but i like tea a bit more

ive never hear of cofee as being good for you

Dani 3-26-2007 @ 6:52PM

I personally am glad that coffee does have health benefits, but am scared that it is link to Osteoporosis, because it runs in my family, and we are coffee drinkers.

Emily 3-26-2007 @ 7:44PM

Well, I'm a college student and I drink both. I used to be a SERIOUS coffee drinker but, I'm a Music major with my concentration in voice so...my teacher's say tea is better for my voice...I still miss my coffee fix now and then but, I've found lots of teas that I LOVE :)

Thanks for this!

Emily

Rob 3-26-2007 @ 7:20PM

I don't have to make a choice. I like coffee and I like tea.

matthew friberg 3-26-2007 @ 10:43PM

I like my coffee like i like my men-black & bold!

Jessica 3-26-2007 @ 9:35PM

I work at a coffee shop. I get up at 3:30 so I can open the store on time. So when someone asks me which I drink, I look at him like he's crazy. I have large quantities of both. Happy to hear that it's not going to cause health problems later. Thanks.

Katy 3-26-2007 @ 10:26PM

I prefer coffee but equally enjoy both. Unfortunately I become dependant on it very fast- leading to depression more often then not. Therefore I usually have to cut off completely from all types of caffeine. Therefore I drink decaf tea. Mint and Chamomile are my favorite :)

wdaver 3-27-2007 @ 8:52AM

Wow, I am a serious Coffee drinker. Like I love the taste of coffee so much that I can & do drink it all the time. Me & Starbucks are real good friends. (& Borders & PJ's & Panera Bread & Atlanta Bread Co. & several other coffee joints around town). Well I won't lie, I love Teas, I usually drink a few cups of Green-Black-White & flavored Tea also. The Anti-oxidant properties of both & either are really excellent for us. I'll sometimes have a big cup of "Java" on my way upstairs B4 I go 2 Bed. I'm 51 & extremely healthy, watch my diet & always get good reports from the doctor on my cholesterol; hdl & ldl levels. For all U non coffee drinkers out there. Try it, its really good for you.

Lisa 3-27-2007 @ 2:24AM

AHHHhaaa...yes, nothing like a cup o' coffee, BUT, yet, at the same time....you will never find your face feeling so tight. Yes, it is true...caffeine is the worst vice when you're talking about your skin. Nothing dehydrates you worse than a cup of coffee. Not alcohol. Not cigarettes.....COFFEE. And, the worst part...you can literally feel your own skin tightening up within a 15 minutes of drinking your first cup...so, don't tell me!

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