The coffee vs tea debate has gone on for decades. It has taken many forms. Which one tastes better? Which is better for you? Now, the debate regarding which is best for weight loss has entered into the mix.
Coffee vs Tea in the Morning
There is a lot to consider in the debate between coffee vs tea in the morning. After all, when you first wake up, it’s not just a matter of what’s good for you. Unless you’re someone who springs out of bed with a ton of energy, you’re likely prioritizing enjoyment.
If that’s the case for you, then there really isn’t too much of a debate between coffee vs tea in the morning. You need to choose the option you will enjoy the most. After all, you want to start your day off feeling great! That isn’t going to happen if you’re trying to force yourself to drink something you don’t want.
That said, if it’s all the same to you, or if you’re looking to make a change, there are several things to consider.
Coffee vs Tea for Weight Loss
When it comes to the impact of drinking the actual beverage, there appears to be a clear coffee vs tea winner. Recent research points directly at coffee as the top choice for dieters. When you want to use a warm beverage to get the most out of your weight loss, your morning drink of preference is coffee.
There are several reasons to explain this. After all, both black and green tea are known for being fantastic supplement ingredients. Moreover, even in the coffee vs tea battle, you need to remember that they both boost energy levels. After all, they all contain caffeine.
However, that daily cup of coffee just adds a little bit more overall than drinking tea. Research suggests that it can help to boost the metabolic rate through thermogenesis stimulation. That said, the coffee vs tea battle really heats up in the ways that the former goes above and beyond the latter.
Coffee’s Secret Weapon
The secret to why coffee stands out in the coffee vs tea battle is in the chlorogenic acid it contains. This ingredient has been shown in clinical studies to reduce the carbohydrate absorption rate.
Furthermore, chlorogenic acid also stimulates epinephrine production. That hormone, among other benefits is important to the process of breaking down fat so it can be used as energy.
That said, despite the power of chlorogenic acid, there are some limitations. This is true even as it helps to win the coffee vs tea battle. The reason is that the more coffee you drink on a regular basis, the more you can build a resistance to its effects.
Therefore, if you’re already someone who chugs down an extra-large cuppa joe each morning and again in the afternoon, the odds are that your body has maxed out on the potential advantages it can provide. For the purposes of weight loss, most experts will recommend keeping yourself limited to a cup or two.
The Stimulant Advantage
Among the main reasons the coffee vs tea battle has gone on for so long is because they both contain caffeine. This naturally occurring stimulant does wonders for energy levels and alertness. That may not sound like much when it comes to losing weight. However, when you really think about it, those two factors are key to successfully reaching virtually any goal.
Unless your main goal is to improve your sleep, having more energy and being more alert will typically help. When you’re more alert, you can make better decisions. This applies to your food and exercise choices. Equally, when you’re all powered up, you perform better during workouts. That squeezes more fat burning and muscle building out of every minute.
Indeed, both types of beverage contain caffeine. Still, the coffee vs tea competition still belongs to coffee because it contains considerably more caffeine. This gives everybody from calorie counters to gym addicts a potential boost.
What About Green Tea’s ECGC?
If you’ve heard of the epigallocatechin gallate (ECGC) in green tea, you may be wondering if it gives tea the advantage. While ECGC does have considerable benefits, it’s not enough to win the coffee vs tea battle. That is, not when it comes to morning beverages. The situation changes in terms of its use as a weight loss supplement ingredient.
Equally, the benefits of ECGC for weight loss should not be ignored. It’s not the coffee vs tea winner but it’s still a helpful substance. If you don’t feel like coffee – or you just don’t like it – then you can still choose tea as your happy alternative.
Coffee vs Tea for Overall Health
As you decide which is a better choice, coffee vs tea, you might also wonder about overall health benefits. After all, if one helps with weight loss but the other does that and has many other advantages, the choice is easy. It would be great if the choice were that simple.
As with all things in life, choosing coffee vs tea for health is also relatively complex. Both beverages offer both physical and mental health benefits. Therefore, as you continue to make your decision, don’t forget to look into the advantages for the rest of your overall wellness.
Coffee vs Tea: Physical Health Benefits
Both options are filled with physical health benefits. In this way, the coffee vs tea competition is much closer than it is in the matter of weight loss. Consider the following:
Coffee
• A surprising number of nutrients – Between coffee vs tea, it’s easy to think that the former contains nothing other than caffeine. That said, it also provides helpful nutrients such as magnesium, potassium, manganese and niacin. When you drink a couple of cups per day, that can add up.
• May guard against certain forms of cancer – In this area of coffee vs tea, both beverages are winners because they’re filled with antioxidants. Coffee drinkers enjoy a wealth of antioxidants to help protect cells from oxidative damage. Since that is among the top drivers of cancer, this layer of protection may also be preventative.
• Reduces type 2 diabetes risk – Research has determined that coffee drinkers have a notably lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. While studies have yet to conclusively determine just why this is the case, a meta-analysis of 18 well reputed studies found that every time a person adds another cup of coffee to their daily average intake, they reduce their diabetes risk by another 7 percent. Quite an argument on this side of the coffee vs tea debate.
• Liver support – Coffee drinkers have a notably lower risk of developing cirrhosis of the liver. This is particularly important to people who have illnesses such as hepatitis. Alcohol drinkers can also enjoy added protection from cirrhosis.
Tea
• Protection against cancers – As was previously mentioned, in the conversation of coffee vs tea, both drinks contain antioxidants. Both black tea and green tea are brimming with antioxidants – such as catechins and flavonoids. They prevent the cellular oxidation that would open cells up to cancer development. Teas are particularly protective against breast, prostate and colorectal cancers.
• Anti-inflammatory benefits – The polyphenols in tea, in addition to other components of tea, are powerful inflammation fighters. In this area of coffee vs tea, it’s the latter side that wins out. For those with chronic inflammation, pain, and redness issues, drinking teas may be more helpful.
• Promotes oral health – Green tea’s catechins may be able to kill unwanted bacteria in your mouth. This can help to prevent various forms of infections. They can even help to combat Streptococcus mutans, which is a contributor to tooth decay when not controlled.
• Reduces insulin sensitivity – People who drink green tea regularly have a better capacity to respond to insulin, which keeps blood sugar levels down. This reduces the risk of a number of metabolic problems as well as type 2 diabetes.
• Supports heart health – Research has been increasingly suggesting drinking tea can reduce the top heart disease risk factors. These include triglycerides, LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol.
Coffee vs Tea: Mental Health Benefits
Just as there are physical health benefits, both coffee drinkers and tea drinkers can also experience mental health benefits. They include the following:
Coffee
• Improves depression – Many studies are now connecting the consumption of coffee every day with a reduced risk of depression. In fact, the effect is powerful enough that a study found that people who drink at least four cups per day were 55 percent less likely to commit suicide. That study was considerable, involving data from over 200,000 people.
• Reduces Alzheimer’s risk – Though scientists have not found an Alzheimer’s cure, there are ways to help prevent it or slow its onset. Among them is a healthy diet. Furthermore, if that diet includes coffee it may help even more.
• Lower Parkinson’s risk – Researchers have found that coffee drinkers are at a significantly lower risk of developing this neurodegenerative disorder. This effect was observed only when the coffee contained caffeine.
Tea
• Neurodegenerative disease prevention – Lab studies suggest that tea drinkers may be at an advantage against neurodegenerative diseases. Though more research is necessary, certain compounds in tea may protect against Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
It’s important to note that in nearly every case for coffee vs tea, it involves a beverage enjoyed black. No coffee, sugar or other condiments are added or they may negate the benefits.
