Enhance Green Tea’s Benefits with Smart Timing

Whether it's the warmth of a steaming mug on a chilly morning or the soothing coolness of iced green tea on a hot summer day, we love green tea for its pleasantly earthy flavour and numerous health advantages.

Green tea is known for its health-promoting effects. The drink contains plant chemicals called catechins (a type of flavonoid), specifically epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a potent antioxidant that fights free radicals and inflammation. However, some factors, such as the time of day or the foods and beverages you consume, might influence how well your body absorbs these beneficial substances.

So, if you're drinking green tea to enhance your disease-fighting antioxidants and want to know when to drink it for the best absorption, keep reading.

What Are the Factors Affecting Antioxidant Absorption? 

Every cup of green tea is unique from the next. This could have an impact on how well you absorb the antioxidants from the nutritious, steaming drink:

How long you brew it: Steeping for 5 minutes at 100 degrees C (212 degrees F, or boiling water) increases the antioxidant content of tea compared to brewing for only 2 minutes at lower temperatures. Hot water can help tea extract more polyphenols and scavenge oxidative radicals than cold water.

(However, steeping it for too long makes it unpleasantly bitter.)

What you're drinking it with: Do you have a bowl of strawberries alongside your tea? Did you add fresh lemon to your iced tea? Older study suggests that vitamin C may improve the absorption of antioxidants present in green tea. On the other hand, adding cow or soy milk to tea has been shown to reduce antioxidant availability.

Your Personal Health: Some evidence suggests that smoking status, BMI, and heredity may all influence an individual's antioxidant absorption capacities, but further research is needed.

What is the Best Time to Drink Green Tea?

Green tea is an excellent calorie and sugar-free beverage that contains antioxidant plant chemicals that many of us can benefit from.

Morning

Drinking green tea at this time ensures you get those healthy catechins first thing in the morning. And doing it on an empty stomach can aid because there are no foods competing for antioxidant absorption. Indeed, evidence suggests that proteins, fiber, and certain minerals may reduce flavonoids' bioavailability (the amount of a chemical that your body can absorb and use).

In between meals

Drinking green tea near mealtimes can backfire. According to specialists, the tannins in this tea can hinder iron absorption, resulting in anaemia in the long run. To enhance antioxidant absorption, drink green tea at least two hours before or after a meal.

Evening

For several people, sipping tea before bedtime is a pleasant routine. However, green tea does contain caffeine, approximately 30 milligrams (mg) per cup. That is less than coffee, but it can interfere with your ability to fall or remain asleep, especially if you are sensitive to caffeine.