Whether you are a regular tea drinker or you enjoy a cup tosoothe a sore throat, odds are you’ve enjoyed tea recently.
What Happens to Your Body When You Drink Tea Every Day
On its own, tea contains antioxidants. But there’s one thing you can add that helps preserve these compounds in your cup—and it may even boost their health benefits, too. We spoke to leading nutrition experts to get the facts on this ingredient (it’s so easy to find) and why adding it to your tea is the way to go.
The #1 Ingredient to Add to Your Tea to Preserve Antioxidants
It’s lemon juice! Adding the citrus superstar may preserve tea’s antioxidants. A recent study explored the effect lemon juice had on mate tea (a form of tea commonly known as yerba maté). Researchers found that adding lemon juice and refrigerating the tea increased its antioxidant activity. Drinkers also said they preferred the tea prepared this way compared to sipping it plain.Prior research has found that adding ascorbic acid (also known as vitamin C, which is one of the two acids in lemon juice) to green and black tea also helped boost the brew’s antioxidants.,
This is helpful during the digestive process. “Catechins are relatively unstable in nonacidic environments, such as the small intestine,” saysTaylor Wallace, Ph.D., a food scientist and professor at George Mason University. “Both vitamin C and citrus juices interact with catechins to prevent their degradation. Adding lemon juice to your tea can drastically preserve a large amount of these compounds while offering a little extra vitamin C in your diet,” he says.
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Tips to Maximize Antioxidant Absorption in Tea
To get the most out of this dynamic tea-lemon duo, consider these tips:
The Best Time to Drink Green Tea for Maximum Antioxidant Absorption, According to Dietitians
Recommendations to Add More Tea with Lemon into Your Diet
The Bottom Line
Tea is a good-for-you beverage choice that packs antioxidants, which are beneficial compounds that help lower inflammation and improve health. To get the most out of your cup of tea, nutrition experts recommend adding lemon juice. Lemon juice is packed with vitamin C, an important antioxidant, and lemon has also been found to help preserve antioxidants naturally present in tea. Consider steeping a cup of our reader-favoriteSoothing Ginger-Lemon Teathe next time you’re craving tea.
The Best Tea for Bloating, According to Dietitians
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SourcesEatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.Khan N, Mukhtar H.Tea and health: studies in humans.Curr Pharm Des. 2013;19(34):6141-6147. doi:10.2174/1381612811319340008Gunduz N, Irkin R, Carikci S.The effect of lemon juice addition and cold storage on the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of cold mate tea.Food Bioscience. doi:10.1016/j.fbio.2024.104515Majchrzak D, Mitter S, Elmadfa I.The effect of ascorbic acid on total antioxidant activity of black and green teas.Food Chemistry. 2004;88(3):447-451. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2004.01.058Al-Ghafari A, Shorbaji A, Al-Sarori L, Baduwailan E.Phenolic contents and antioxidant activities of green tea with and without lemon.Natural Science. 2016;08(06):247-255. doi:10.4236/ns.2016.86029Hursel R, Westerterp-Plantenga MS.Consumption of milk-protein combined with green tea modulates diet-induced thermogenesis.Nutrients. 2011;3(8):725-733. doi:10.3390/nu3080725
Sources
EatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.Khan N, Mukhtar H.Tea and health: studies in humans.Curr Pharm Des. 2013;19(34):6141-6147. doi:10.2174/1381612811319340008Gunduz N, Irkin R, Carikci S.The effect of lemon juice addition and cold storage on the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of cold mate tea.Food Bioscience. doi:10.1016/j.fbio.2024.104515Majchrzak D, Mitter S, Elmadfa I.The effect of ascorbic acid on total antioxidant activity of black and green teas.Food Chemistry. 2004;88(3):447-451. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2004.01.058Al-Ghafari A, Shorbaji A, Al-Sarori L, Baduwailan E.Phenolic contents and antioxidant activities of green tea with and without lemon.Natural Science. 2016;08(06):247-255. doi:10.4236/ns.2016.86029Hursel R, Westerterp-Plantenga MS.Consumption of milk-protein combined with green tea modulates diet-induced thermogenesis.Nutrients. 2011;3(8):725-733. doi:10.3390/nu3080725
EatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.
Khan N, Mukhtar H.Tea and health: studies in humans.Curr Pharm Des. 2013;19(34):6141-6147. doi:10.2174/1381612811319340008Gunduz N, Irkin R, Carikci S.The effect of lemon juice addition and cold storage on the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of cold mate tea.Food Bioscience. doi:10.1016/j.fbio.2024.104515Majchrzak D, Mitter S, Elmadfa I.The effect of ascorbic acid on total antioxidant activity of black and green teas.Food Chemistry. 2004;88(3):447-451. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2004.01.058Al-Ghafari A, Shorbaji A, Al-Sarori L, Baduwailan E.Phenolic contents and antioxidant activities of green tea with and without lemon.Natural Science. 2016;08(06):247-255. doi:10.4236/ns.2016.86029Hursel R, Westerterp-Plantenga MS.Consumption of milk-protein combined with green tea modulates diet-induced thermogenesis.Nutrients. 2011;3(8):725-733. doi:10.3390/nu3080725
Khan N, Mukhtar H.Tea and health: studies in humans.Curr Pharm Des. 2013;19(34):6141-6147. doi:10.2174/1381612811319340008
Gunduz N, Irkin R, Carikci S.The effect of lemon juice addition and cold storage on the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of cold mate tea.Food Bioscience. doi:10.1016/j.fbio.2024.104515
Majchrzak D, Mitter S, Elmadfa I.The effect of ascorbic acid on total antioxidant activity of black and green teas.Food Chemistry. 2004;88(3):447-451. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2004.01.058
Al-Ghafari A, Shorbaji A, Al-Sarori L, Baduwailan E.Phenolic contents and antioxidant activities of green tea with and without lemon.Natural Science. 2016;08(06):247-255. doi:10.4236/ns.2016.86029
Hursel R, Westerterp-Plantenga MS.Consumption of milk-protein combined with green tea modulates diet-induced thermogenesis.Nutrients. 2011;3(8):725-733. doi:10.3390/nu3080725
