Have a Cuppa Calm

Do tea lovers do it better? De-stress, that is. A recent study says yes.

When a group of men were tested with two beverage choices, the men who drank a beverage that was rigged to mimic black tea's constituents recovered more quickly from stress than the group sipping a beverage missing the black tea ingredients. The credit may go to black tea's healthful polyphenols, flavonoids, and amino acids. Whatever the reason, it's a good pick-me-up when the pressure's on.

It's not just the higher caffeine content that makes black tea such a good stress fighter; both beverages tested had the same amount of caffeine.

And although all the men had a similar response to stress -- their blood pressures and heart rates increased -- the drinkers of black tea recovered more quickly. Within an hour of the stressful event, biological measures of stress, such as assessments of platelet activation and levels of the stress hormone cortisol, were lower in the men who drank the real stuff compared to those who drank the faux tea. The drinkers of black tea even felt more relaxed during the 50-minute stress-recovery time.

Tea remains a health-promoting champ for other reasons, namely, the good-for-your-heart catechins they dose you with.

For a real flavor treat, try loose-leaf teas. And if you're a loose-leaf tea newbie, here's how to get the most flavor in your cup:

• Use about 1 teaspoon of loose-leaf tea per 8-ounce cup.
• Rinse your cup or pot with hot tap water until it's warm (before brewing tea).
• Let fresh cold water come to a rolling boil before pouring over the tea. For green tea, water should be just below the boiling point.
• Cover the cup with the saucer to retain the heat.
• Steep for 3 to 5 minutes; oversteeping makes tea taste bitter.

The effects of tea on psychophysiological stress responsivity and post-stress recovery: a randomised double-blind trial. Steptoe, A., Gibson, E. L., Vounonvirta, R., Williams, E. D., Hamer, M., Rycroft, J. A. Erusalimsky, J. D., Wardle, J., Psychopharmacology Epub 2006 Sep 30.