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Tea and coffee are products that are a perpetual constant in our dining areas and offices. In fact, most of us have been sceptical about which of them is better though everyone has a favourite. Considering the fact that they both contain the major substance of contention – caffeine- I suppose that the right questions are: how healthy are tea and coffee; and how healthy is caffeine? What you need to know is that there is a wide range of tea products out there, all of which come from different natural sources. The major difference is in the synthesis of the product before it gets to our tables but the producers try to maintain the freshness and the nature of their products despite their commercial interests. Therefore, whichever tea you are having exhibits some characteristic features of its natural existence. For instance, Tea Bricks are made from old leaves that are high in fluorine content. This accumulates over time in humans leading to harmful effects on the bones and teeth. Camelia sinensis is a favourite to most tea producing companies. Green Tea, White Tea, Oolong Tea, Puerh Tea and Black Tea are all prepared from this specie though their differences lie in their various preparation techniques. A test¹ of the toxicity of different tea labels was carried out on Lipton Tea, Tetley Caffeinated Tea, Tetley Decaffeinated tea, Top Tea, Green Tea, Dara-Dara Tea, Slimming Tea, Herbal Tea and cymbopogon citratus from raw lemon grass. The purpose was to determine which tea brand was more toxic than the other; and in the result, it was realised that all tea brands at high concentration were toxic but the toxicity reduced with reduction in concentration. Though Tetley Caffeinated, Tetley Decaffeinated Tea and cymbopogan citratus exhibited a different pattern to reduction in concentration due to their high toxicity; they had a slow rate in reduced concentration especially Tetley Caffeinated Tea. It was later assumed that the caffeine content of the tea makes it dilute the mildest of all. Tea and coffee both have a similarity – caffeine content – though coffee has the most caffeine content. Caffeine is a psychoactive substance. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system. And it is widely taken without regulation all over the world. What caffeine actually does in the body is that it inhibits the activity of adenosine, a closely related derivative of the adenine and guanine in the DNA and RNA and induces sleeplessness which is called insomnia. Caffeine can remain in the body for hours before it fully gets metabolized. Extensive studies² have shown that tea, if taken within the normal or safe dosage of 300mg, 6 cups – though 4 cups is safer – (because it is estimated that 50mg of caffeine is present per 190ml tea) a day by an average adult is a safe intake and should not arouse complications. Coffee if also taken rationally between this dosage recognizing though that coffee has high caffeine content depending on the per milligram content of the product, should be safe. Normally, caffeine increases the heartbeat rate of an individual, induces insomnia, does not accumulate in the body etc. A high caffeine content intake has been associated with a number of issues including negative effects on pregnancy (miscarriage), anxiety, restlessness, confusion, delirium, headache, insomnia, muscle twitches and muscle seizure. Despite the publicity surrounding tea and coffee, please endeavour to check your tea and coffee intake so that you can maximize your daily activities. Take only safe dosages of caffeine and have a remarkable day! References: ¹Omotayo O. Dosumu, Omolara O. Oluwaniyi, Victoria G. Awolola, Olaolua O. Ogukunle (2010). Toxicity assessment of some tea labels from supermarkets in Ilorin, Nigeria using brine shrimp (Artemia salina) lethality assay. ² Barone JJ, et al. (1996) Caffeine consumption. Food and Chemical Toxicology 34; 119-129 About the Writer: Bello Muhammad is a graduate of Biological Sciences. He is passionate about education and personal development. He is also a lover of chess who has featured in the West African University Games for his institution. You can contact him via Google+ and email: slimophobia@gmail.com, phone 08152501891 and Twitter @Slimanic.