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From: wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin )
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: Tea
Message-ID: <3441@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Wed, 20-Nov-85 11:55:56 EST
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.3441
Posted: Wed Nov 20 11:55:56 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 23-Nov-85 01:47:19 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: USAMC ALMSA, St. Louis, MO
Lines: 38

In the discussions of quitting smoking, and regarding addictive
substances, people have often mentioned coffee. No one talking about this
area ever seems to mention tea. Tea contains caffeine, of course, and I
thought that it was this addictive substance that was being avoided by
cutting out coffee. I'd like to see some discussion about tea.

As a bit of personal history, I've never liked and so never drank
coffee. I do like tea, and drink quite a bit of iced tea all year round,
and some hot tea at times during the winter. However, I have gone for
periods of some days up through some weeks without drinking any tea, and
never noticed withdrawal symptoms (that I could define as such).

I have heard that there are substances in tea that inhibit the body's
ability to absorb or use vitamin C, so I avoid taking my usually-daily
ration of vitamin pills, which includes a gram of C, within some hours
of drinking tea. (I normally take the pills after lunch, and drink tea
only in the evening.) I also notice no insomniac effect from tea, often
drinking a glass while reading in bed before falling asleep. (I normally
drink Tender Leaf for iced tea, and all sorts of various gift and bulk
teas for hot tea. I drink tea straight, no sweetening, sometimes with lemon.)

So, several questions:

1) Does ordinary American tea-bag tea contain so little caffeine that it
doesn't have much effect?

2) Does iced tea impart much less caffeine to the body than hot tea will?
(Assume the same brand tea, just temperature difference.)

3) Is there any truth to the idea of tea affecting vitamin potency or
absorbtion? Which vitamins? What about affecting other food substances?

Any other tea-related coments would be welcomed.

Regards,
Will Martin

UUCP/USENET: seismo!brl-bmd!wmartin   or   ARPA/MILNET: wmartin@almsa-1.ARPA