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That little cup of tea is way more than a social statement: It just might fight cancer and help keep you young.The warm phrase, "It's tea time" just sounds better than, "It's polyphenol time." But from a nutritionist point of view, that is exactly what you are trying to achieve when you drink tea. And in light of new studies, perhaps the most healthful way to deliver polyphenols to your cells would be to select green tea for breakfast, black tea for lunch, white tea for the afternoon and oolong tea for dinner. Exposure to this diverse concoction of polyphenols may provide the ultimate defense for good health and disease prevention.

All of these forms of tea contain a group of substances collectively known as polyphenols, which many researchers believe protect against cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Although all "real" tea comes from the same plant, Camellia sinensis, how long fresh tea leaves come into contact with oxygen determines the type of tea. White tea is processed the least and so retains the highest levels of polyphenols, followed by green, oolong and then black. But don't think for a moment that the polyphenols in black tea aren't potent for your health. In terms of caffeine, black tea has the most (about 50 mg per cup) followed by oolong (40 mg per cup), green (30 mg per cup) and then white tea (10 mg per cup). And take note, decaffeinated tea has fewer of the beneficial polyphenols.

Now that's a mouthful …
Polyphenols is a broad term used to describe these disease-fighting compounds. The compounds themselves are then categorized into groups known as flavonoids, theaflavins, thearubigens, theanines and catechins. The four primary catechins in fresh tea leaves are epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate and epicatechin.

So which is best?
Some of these polyphenols have antioxidant properties, whereas others perform biological mechanisms that prevent disease in other unique ways. Each type of tea possess different types of polyphenols and concentrations … and there lies the scientific debate over which is best. For example, white tea retains the highest level of flavonoids, which are known for their antioxidant qualities. But do flavonoids in white tea benefit our health better than theaflavins and thearubigens found in black tea? And more importantly, which is it better for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, weight loss or a combination of these?

Clinical trials are underway and will begin to unravel these questions. Simultaneously, scientists are elucidating polyphenols' additional disease-fighting properties, other than their antioxidant qualities. For example, the American Institute for Cancer Research presented evidence at an international conference on diet and cancer showing that a major catechin found in green tea (EGCG) seems to target a protein in our cells called HSP90, which is present at higher levels in many cancer cells.

Some scientists think that in some circumstances this protein HSP90 helps trigger the cascade of biochemical steps that eventually leads to cancer; but when EGCG binds to this protein, it stops the cancer process from happening. Other scientific lab analyses demonstrate that cancer cells exposed to all of green, black and oolong tea's polyphenols decreased the progression of cancer growth, which is a considerable finding in the fight against active cancer.

Perhaps the polyphenols found in all teas (white, green, black and oolong) will do more to preserve our health or help us fight disease, due to their additive and/or synergistic effect than just relying on one tea alone. Variety is probably the tea to life!