Whether you're drinking black, oolong, green or white tea, it comes from the same source: the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. These teas are processed in different ways, which accounts for their variations in color, flavor and nutritional benefits. Green and white teas are the least processed of these varieties, and that allows them to retain higher amounts of the antioxidants that are beneficial to human health.
Tea Processing
Black tea results when mature Camellia sinensis leaves undergo a process called fermentation, wherein the leaves are rolled to break them down. This allows enzymes to oxidize substances called catechins, which are contained within the leaves. Tea makers refer to this process as "fermentation." Green tea is made from mature Camellia sinensis leaves that do not undergo fermentation, but are instead withered, steamed and dried. White tea is made from younger leaves and buds harvested from Camellia sinensis, which are steamed and dried. The steaming process inactivates the enzymes that oxidize catechins in green and white tea, leaving more of their beneficial antioxidants intact.
White Vs. Green Tea Catechins
Both white and green teas contain catechins, but the types and amounts differ between the two varieties, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. Green teas are slightly more processed than white tea, which decreases its antioxidant potency. Because of this, white tea contains more of the healthy catechins that are provide health benefits.
Cancer Studies
A number of studies have compared the possible cancer fighting effects of green vs. white tea. In 2001, the journal "Mutation Research" found that white tea contained more anti-mutagenic activity than green tea, which may mean it helps in preventing disease related to gene mutations, such as cancer. A 2007 study in "Nutrition and Cancer" found white tea to be superior to green tea in its ability to inhibit carcinogenic colon cell proliferation. The National Cancer Institute notes that multiple animal and laboratory studies have found a link tea polyphenols and cancer prevention, but human studies have been inconclusive. More research is needed to confirm the effect of green and white tea on human cancer cells.
Fat Burning Potential
Enthusiasm over the potential of green and white teas as weight loss aids is understandably high in the United States, a nation plagued with rampant obesity. A number of studies have shown that a catechin called epigallocatechin-3-gallate found in green and white tea can induce cells to burn fat. A 2009 study published in "Nutrition and Metabolism" states that extracts from plants such as Camellia sinensis can influence fat tissue, and white tea extracts can inhibit the production of fat cells and stimulate fat burning.
References
- National Cancer Institute: Tea and Cancer Prevention: Strengths and Limits of the Evidence
- "Nutrition and Cancer"; Comparison of White Tea, Green Tea, Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate, and Caffeine as Inhibitors of PhIP-Induced Colonic Aberrant Crypts; O. Carter, et al.; 2007
- "Nutrition and Metabolism"; White Tea Extract Induces Lipocytic Activity and Inhibits Adipogenesis in Human Subcutaneous (Pre)-Adipocytes; Jörn Söhle, et al.; May 2009
- "Mutation Research"; Potent Antimutagenic Activity of White Tea in Comparison with Green Tea in the Salmonella Assay; G. Santana-Rios, et al; August 2001
- Linus Pauling Institute; Tea; Jane HIgdon; 2005
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