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











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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
3-23-2007 @ 9:07AM
mary jones said...
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!
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3-26-2007 @ 6:45AM
Joseph Saucier said...
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.
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3-26-2007 @ 6:58AM
Mariah said...
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.
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3-26-2007 @ 9:09AM
Joann said...
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
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3-26-2007 @ 11:08AM
Tera Randall said...
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!
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3-26-2007 @ 11:45AM
Thomas said...
Coffee. Black & Bitter, baby:)
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3-26-2007 @ 4:09PM
j-man said...
i like tea and coffee but i like tea a bit more
ive never hear of cofee as being good for you
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3-26-2007 @ 4:10PM
j-man said...
i like tea and coffee but i like tea a bit more
ive never hear of cofee as being good for you
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3-26-2007 @ 6:52PM
Dani said...
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.
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3-26-2007 @ 7:20PM
Rob said...
I don't have to make a choice. I like coffee and I like tea.
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3-26-2007 @ 7:44PM
Emily said...
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
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3-26-2007 @ 9:26PM
Gary said...
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)
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3-26-2007 @ 9:35PM
Jessica said...
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.
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3-26-2007 @ 10:26PM
Katy said...
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 :)
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3-26-2007 @ 10:43PM
matthew friberg said...
I like my coffee like i like my men-black & bold!
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3-27-2007 @ 2:24AM
Lisa said...
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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3-27-2007 @ 2:43AM
teajunky said...
more of a tea drinker than coffee, the whole starbucks latte thing never really appealed to me. study and drink tea is all i do. Oolongs and green teas are my favorite namely the milk oolong. try aromateashop.com if youre looking for some.
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3-27-2007 @ 8:52AM
wdaver said...
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.
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3-27-2007 @ 12:38PM
Colombian Coffee Bean said...
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.
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3-27-2007 @ 9:13PM
Neal said...
Tea has much much much more beneficial effects than those that were listed. I hate it when unofficial organizations try to tell people what's healthy and what's not. Use some common sense. And where did this author get her information from?
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