Many people are drinking tea due to its health benefits. It is rich in antioxidants that help body cells fight free radicals and prevent sicknesses like cancer, heart diseases, stroke, and a lot more. But how much of these antioxidants is one getting from a bottled tea?

A recent study that tested six brands of bottled tea available in the supermarket tells that the food item may not be as healthy as you think.

Shiming Li, Ph.D. reported on the study at the recent meeting of the American Chemical Society. Using high-performance liquid chromatography, these brands were found low in polyphenol content. Another thing that may be a little bit more saddening about bottled tea is its taste. Polyphenols give tea a bitter taste, so for it to be good tasting, its makers are adding more sugar into it. So there you go: less antioxidants, more sugar.

When it comes to tea and its health benefits, nothing is better than the brewed one.

Here are some tea varieties and their health benefits:

• Green tea: increases mental acuity and protects against heart disease; just add a twist of lemon to help absorb the antioxidants into your bloodstream

• Mint tea: settles the stomach and alleviates gas

• Ginger tea: soothes digestion and fires up your energy

• Chamomile tea: calms the nervous system and relaxes the muscles; drink an hour before bedtime.

Source:

Yahoo! Heath