Everyone knows green tea, and indeed this type of tea is a true elixir of life. But what about the lesser-known white tea? This drink is also a precious ally for health, useful in counteracting aging processes and obesity. What has been said emerges from two recent scientific researches that we will discuss in today’s article.
White tea against obesityThe first research was published in the European Cytokine Network journal by a Turkish team (Saral et al, Eur Cytokine Netw, 2021). The study was conducted in the laboratory on a population of mice with a reduction in estrogen, thus mimicking the hormonal condition of menopausal women. Indeed, at the beginning of the study the mice showed significant weight gain, which often occurs when there is a decline in estrogen, just as it does in menopause. Then, some of the mice were given white tea extracts. After 3 months what emerged was that the mice that had received the white tea showed a reduction in body weight. Scientists also managed to study the mechanism of action of white tea, which is able to stimulate thermogenesis, the process by which the body transforms fat reserves into energy, and suppresses inflammation. These two mechanisms explain the ability of white tea to reduce body weight and fat accumulation, even in the case of obesity caused by a lack of estrogen.White tea, the elixir of youthThe second study was published in the journal Drug design, development and therapy by a Chinese team (Li et al, Drug Des Devel Ther, 2021). The research focused on a precious type of white tea, called White tip silver needle, and took place in the laboratory. Well, this white tea was found to be highly antioxidant and capable of counteracting aging processes, reducing the damage of free radicals to the kidneys, liver and lungs. Not only that, white tea has been able to reduce ALT and AST values, which, when they increase, indicate liver damage.
ConclusionThese two articles show that white tea is a beverage to be considered on par with green tea when it comes to health benefits. In fact, white tea helps reduce obesity, even in post-menopause, and counteracts aging processes, protecting organs such as the kidneys, liver and lungs and acting as a true elixir of youth. White tea and green tea are obtained from the same plant, Camellia sinensis, what changes is the harvesting period and the process to which they are subjected. In fact, to obtain green tea, the young leaves of the plant are harvested, which are then subjected to heat and dried to deactivate the fermentation processes. White tea is obtained from buds that are still closed, covered with a characteristic white hair, which are then dried. Different processes thus lead to the development of different properties, with white tea preserving all the polyphenols, being subjected to less processing, and therefore capable of showing a greater antioxidant action than other types of tea. As far as the infusion is concerned, the preparation of white tea is similar to that of green tea, with the water being brought to 70° C and the tea being steeped for ten minutes, even more if it is indicated on the packaging. The amount of tea is one teaspoon of dried leaves per cup plus one. Avoid consuming white tea in the evening hours as the drink contains caffeine.
