Health Benefits of Drinking Tea - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

There's a new trend brewing.

The popularity of tea is on the rise.

And as Krista Harju reports, this is one trend that can benefit your health.

Tea is the second-most popular drink in the world. And it's not hard to see why... It's credited with improving heart health, reducing the risk of cancer -- even reducing the risk of type 2 Diabetes.

Dr. Elizabeth Allmendinger says teas processed from tea leaves contain unique antioxidants called flavanoids.

"Antioxidants do a lot of really amazing things in our body. They help with everything from helping prevent cancer to lowering cholesterol."

But not all teas are created equal.

"The highest amount of antioxidants and catechins are in the white teas. The bud itself contains several leaves and inside that bud the leaves produce a significantly larger amount of health benefits to that and also a reduced amount of caffeine," says Jerry Hintz, co-owner of Steep Me A Cup of Tea.

"The level of polyphenols changes with how the tea is processed. And a white tea is the least processed, so it has the largest amount of polyphenols, which again is that flavanoid or antioxidant. And then it goes into the green tea, and then oolong tea, and then a black tea," says Dr. Allmendinger.

If you are shopping for an antioxidant-rich treat, it is important to remember that many herbal teas aren't tea at all. Real tea is derived from the camellia sinensis plant and includes only four varieties: white, green, black, and oolong. If you're not sure what kind you're drinking, check the ingredients for the word, "tea."

"I really like the fruity, white teas. Peach white tea... different things like that. Mango white tea. That has a really high benefit. It has a really mild flavor. And if you like any of the fruit flavors, you'll probably like that tea," says Dr. Allmendinger.

If your tea time includes just one cup a day -- Allmendinger says add 2 more.... the best health results come in threes...

Dr. Allmendinger says even steeping time has an affect on the amount of "health" in your cup.

For best results, bring water to a boiling point.

Let it sit for one to three minutes, and then steep.