This time of year students find themselves reaching for any drink that could give them a big enough caffeine boost to finish that last big paper or study for another hour. A commonly held belief is that tea is preferable to coffee; however, both have health benefits and consequences.
This might raise the question—which caffeinated drink is better for you? If you constantly find yourself feeling negative side effects from too much of tea or coffee, it may be time to consider a switch.
Coffee:
Between the two, coffee does contain more caffeine, making it a good choice if you're looking for an instant boost.
Research has shown that a single cup of brewed coffee contains approximately 90-150 milligrams of caffeine, as opposed to 25-70 milligrams per cup of tea.
Within the first few sips of coffee, you'll immediately feel your energy increase, due to the body's quick absorption. Despite that upside, it also makes it easier to consume too much caffeine and send you spiraling downwards quickly afterward.
On the bright side, all those extra cups might help you later on down the road. A lesser known benefit to coffee is that it has been linked to increased memory retention and a decreased risk of getting Alzheimer's disease.
Conversely, it may also cause some digestive issues and leave you squirming in the middle of your morning lecture. It can also dehydrate you, leaving you to feel its negative side effects at their full strength.
Tea:
Don't count tea out just yet! While also delivering an energy boost, tea can also benefit your immune system and improve your digestion.
Black tea is known for having the most caffeine per cup, although it is still less than the same amount of coffee. Green tea is especially good for boosting your metabolism, while also decreasing stress (making it the perfect drink to sip on during finals).
The other great thing about tea is that there are several varieties, each with different perks. For example, peppermint tea has been show to decrease stomach pains, while white tea can strengthen your bones and protect against early signs of osteoporosis.
All natural teas are great sources of antioxidants, which help cleanse your body of harmful substances that might have accumulated.
However, teas that have been highly processed do not provide these benefits. A helpful tip to make sure you're getting the healthiest tea is to make sure it's all natural and organic. The best ones are those that are pure—specifically black, green, white, or oolong tea.
So, What's Best?
With all of that said, it can be seen that both drinks have positives and negatives. There is one aspect, however, that is a certain drawback that people must be careful about.
One of the biggest drawbacks with both coffee and tea is its unadulterated flavor, often leading people to dump sugar and milk into their drinks.
This greatly hinders the drinks' healthy benefits and makes it easier to overindulge. Both beverages create an opportunity to consume too much caffeine, which could cause headaches, stomach pains, nausea, and other unfortunate side effects.
With these new facts in mind, make sure you're reaching for the best drink for your health this finals season.