Now over the ages, with tea drinking being as widespread as it is - several myths have gotten mixed up with the facts and the very real benefits of tea drinking.  A number of misconceptions about tea and tea drinking have been born out of anecdotal theories that have been born out of its use. Let’s take a look at some of them -

Tea is a Diuretic - Myth

It is believed by some, and erroneously, that tea is a diuretic because of its caffeine content. Caffeine does in fact have the impact of causing a person to pass more urine and thereby lose water. There is the apprehension that this could cause problems related to proper hydration of the body. However the level of caffeine in tea is not so high that this could pose a problem. Tea contains, at most, only half the caffeine that a cup of coffee contains.

Further, with regular tea drinking, the body adjusts to the caffeine intake and the impacts of caffeine as a diuretic are negated. Tolerance for caffeine is created by the drinker and tea drinking does not cause any extra loss of water.

Green Tea Helps in Weight Loss - Fact

Numerous studies have been able to show that drinking several cups of green tea a day can help a person lose weight. Drinking green tea can help lose weight, because this helps with the natural process of Thermogenesis in the body, which increases the metabolism of the body and hence burns calories at a faster rate.

Of course it has to be clarified that green tea assists in weight loss rather than actually causing it. This is to say that drinking several cups a day will mean an extra 80 or so calories burned per day, which can be very significant if one already eats a sensible healthy diet and has an effective exercise regimen. In that case the green tea intake can actually help you lose more weight, and faster.

Tea can cause Sleeplessness - Myth

It is thought that one of the components of tea, L-theanine is responsible for keeping people awake, especially when tea is drunk close to bed time. However it has been seen that L-theanine may actually have the opposite effect - that of enhancing sleep quality.

Tea Lowers Stress, Increases Endurance -  Fact

This is another way in which tea can help with weight loss - it helps build the body’s endurance, letting you work out for longer and more effectively. Also it’s more than just an old wives tale that tea can lower stress, studies have shown that it helps lower levels of cortisol, the stress hormone in the body.

Tags: caffeine, diuretic, green tea, sleep, stress, tea, weight loss