Heard all the buzz about drinking loose black tea? Nearly all research and studies done so far to investigate the health benefits of tea are based on brewed loose black tea. From weight loss to cancer, loose black tea is gaining popularity as more and more people realize how you can promote your health by drinking three or four cups a day.

The following are some of the results of a decade's worth of studying the health benefits of loose black tea:

* Reducing arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis

* Containing antioxidants that remove free radicals from the body

* Reducing the risk of blood clot and the hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis)

* Reducing the risk of heart diseases and stroke

* Reducing the harmful effects from cigarette smoking

* Reducing high blood pressure and bad cholesterol in blood

* Keeping fluid balance and relieving fatigue

* Reducing arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis

* Awakening thought with its high caffeine content

* Boosting your immune system

* Aiding in cancer prevention and reducing tumor growth

* Supporting liver protection and relieving stress

* Providing oral care and natural fluoride which helps prevent cavities and tooth decay

* EGCG from tea has been reported to block the spread of HIV (AIDS virus)

Although some of these research results about the benefits of loose black tea are new and need further study to verify, its most positive health benefits are great enough for you to make the healthy decision of drinking tea everyday.

What makes it so good?

The degree of processing determines whether a tea will be green, black or red. Green teas are the least processed. They are simply steamed quickly before packaging. Loose black teas, on the other hand, and red teas are first partially dried, crushed, and then fermented. The fermentation process is actually the reason why black tea is black and red tea is red, differing only in how long and how fully the leaves are allowed to oxidize.

Because loose black tea is fully oxidized, the resulting taste is often richer and more aromatic compared to the delicate taste of green tea. In fact, loose black tea is so tastefully intriguing that people have been comparing its unusual taste to wine and whiskey. Why? Because like wine and whiskey, loose black tea improves in taste with age.

Before, scientists used to suspect that the polyphenols in tea get destroyed when the leaves undergo full oxidation. However, new research has shown that regardless of the processing method, all teas, whether loose black tea, green, or red, contain polyphenols.

Polyphenols are what makes tea so beneficial to us. Like all other antioxidants, this substance helps protect cells from the normal, but damaging physiological process known as "oxidative stress." Although oxygen is vital to life, it may also cause the production of highly reactive substances called "free radicals" which are the responsible for cell damage.

Polyphenols found in loose black tea have been shown to have a beneficial effect in preventing free radicals from creating its slow chain reaction of damage. In fact, many studies have demonstrated the anti-cancer properties of polyphenols in loose black tea. They can stop the damage that free radicals do to cells, neutralize enzymes essential for tumor growth, and deactivate cancer promoters.