Tea is the second-most consumed beverage after water and irrespective of temperature you consume it at, there are benefits galore. From black and green to hibiscus and chamomile, tea may help you stave off disease, manage a healthy weight, ease physical discomfort, and more.

After water, tea is the second most consumed beverage on earth, and for good reason. Not only is it available in different types, something to suit everyone’s preference, but it is also chock full of health benefits.

You can sip on a bold black tea or a mercurial muscatel Darjeeling tea to start your day, or you could take the edge off after a long day with a soothing cup of herbal tea that will help you sleep better.

There’s always something for everyone.
Now summers are upon us and the trend of cold teas or iced teas is back. We all crave a nice tall, chilled glass of iced tea with our favourite infusions to beat the sweltering heat. Of course, some of us worry about the sugar intake the comes with it, but there are some brands that have also come out with low-calorie, instant premixes with a healthy green tea base.

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But have you wondered which is better:Hot tea or cold? Which of the two are healthier or what are the differences? Let’s dive deep and find out.

Difference
Regardless of tea being a healthy beverage, there are some differences in the nutritional content and the health benefits that hot and cold tea have to offer. Here are some things that you might want to consider before raising your cuppa:

Antioxidant content
Although a cup of steaming hot tea might be soothing to your senses, when it comes to the beneficial antioxidants present in tea, it seems like cold tea or iced teas win. The research found that cold water brewing maximises the antioxidant activity and phenolic content when brewed for a long time.

Weight loss
Although there is truth in the fact that drinking hot tea can help further weight loss efforts by facilitating efficient detox, hot tea by itself cannot lead to weight loss. Again, cold teas here work their magic, especially for obese people. Drinking unsweetened and properly brewed cold tea can lead to more stimulation of thermogenesis and the oxidation of fat.

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Heart health
Research also found that drinking unsweetened cold brew can help overweight people with cardiovascular issues. Drinking unsweetened and long brewed cold tea can help alleviate hypertension and other cardiac risks. There are some benefits to drinking hot tea as well; it helps reduce levels of bad or LDL cholesterol and contributes to heart health.

Caffeine content
Black tea, among all other tea types, carries the highest content of caffeine which is close to 25 to 40 mg of caffeine per 230 to 250 ml serving of tea. But according to a study that was published in the Journal of Food Science Technology, it was found that even when both hot tea and cold tea are brewed the same way, using the same methods, cold or iced tea contains less caffeine than its hot counterpart. So for those who are trying to cut down on their caffeine consumption, we recommend going for iced or cold tea.

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Conclusion
Of course, there are more added benefits while drinking long-brewed cold tea than over a hot tea, but more or less, one can reap the same benefits from both variants. Like, when we are down with a bout of cold or flu, there’s nothing like a cup of hot tea that can soothe headaches, sore throat and alleviate symptoms of a cold.

Drinking hot tea can also lead to better digestion and efficient detox. But all in all, drinking any of these variants can help you extract a plethora of nutrients and an abundance of good antioxidants. #KhabarLive #hydnews