Tea or coffee? Which one is best for someone watching their weight or concerned about avoiding health problems. The debate is never completely clarified of which is best or us.

About 80% of us drink coffee each week. Although it isn’t the only product to contain caffeine, it is a drink that contains perhaps the highest percentage of this drug which acts as a stimulant.

Although it has been proven to raise blood pressure in the short term, it is currently unfounded whether or not there are any long term effects other than decreasing fertility.

But, positively, it has been found that coffee can reduce the chances of developing gall stones, kidney stones and colorectal cancer.

Facts about coffee*:

~     Women drinking 1-3 cups of coffee per day had less chance of developing heart disease.

~     May reduce the risk of suicide among women.  

~     Helps prevent gallstones and symptomatic gallbladder disease in men.

~     Contains caffeine-related compounds (theophylline) that can alleviate the symptoms of asthma in some cases.

~     Can increase alertness and prolong waking hours.

~     May improve short-term recall.

~     Promotes the effectiveness of certain migraine drugs.

~     May reduce the risk of cirrhosis of the liver among heavy drinkers.

~     May postpone muscle fatigue and thus enhance athletic performance and endurance.

~     May protect against free radical damage to tissues – one study found that coffee has more antioxidant activity than red wine, green or black tea, or orange juice

But it is estimated that in a single person’s lifetime, we drink about 80,000 cups of tea, so surely there must be some benefit?

Research shows that drinking tea has far more benefits than coffee. It has less caffeine and far more benefits as a result of its consumption.

Facts about tea**:

~     Approximately 40% of the nation's fluid intake today will be tea ~     Tea without milk has no calories. Using semi-skimmed milk adds around 13 calories per cup, but you also benefit from valuable minerals and calcium ~     Tea with milk provides 16% of daily calcium requirement in 4 cups ~     Tea contains some zinc and folic acid ~     Tea with milk contains Vitamin B6, Riboflavin B2 and Thiamin B1 ~     Tea is a source of the minerals manganese, essential for bone growth and body development, and potassium, vital for maintaining body fluid levels ~     The average cup of tea contains less than half the level of caffeine than coffee. One cup contains only 50mg per 190ml cup.

~     Tea is a natural source of fluoride and drinking four cups makes a significant contribution to your daily intake 

~     Only 11% of UK water supply has fluoride added ~     Green and black teas are from the same plant, Camelia sinensis, and contain similar amounts of antioxidants and caffeine

Overall, it is fair to say that it can be far more worthwhile for the average person to drink more tea rather than coffee especially if you’re particularly conscious of the health risks. Why not introduce your colleagues to the benefits of either tea or coffee and email us back with opinions from your office at marketing@worklifehome.co.uk. Join the debate!

*   www.mothernature.com: accessed 26/09/06

**  www.about.com: accessed 26/09/06