Add Milk, Subtract Health Benefits

All the buzz in recent years about the antioxidants in tea has seemed to encourage some people to shift their morning beverage from coffee to tea.

But are these tea converts really getting the antioxidant advantage that comes from drinking tea?

Not if they add milk to their tea.

A German research team has found that caseins, proteins which are found naturally in milk, interact with tea in a way that actually lowers the flavonoids in tea -- and flavonoids are the antioxidants that are believed to have anti-aging, heart-healthy effects.

So if you love drinking tea, keep enjoying it. But, if you're adding milk to your tea (as I do), realize that you're not getting all of the health benefits that have been ballyhooed in article after article.