Healing Tip: Coffee and Tea for Antioxidant Support

by Dr. Julian Whitaker

Last Reviewed 09/25/2012

Americans love their coffee—to the tune of 3.1 cups a day for the average consumer. As it turns out, your morning cup of Joe may soon be considered a health food. Though tea is thought to be the all-time antioxidant leader, research from the University of Scranton reveals that coffee is actually the frontrunner.

When scientists tested the polyphenol antioxidant content of a variety of coffees and teas, coffee came out on top.

Levels didn’t vary much between brewed and instant coffee, and decaf didn’t fall far behind caffeinated. Most surprising, coffee was found to be five times better at preventing oxidation than vitamin C! That’s not to say tea isn’t great. It contains another class of antioxidants called catechins, which provide numerous health benefits.

My advice is to do what I do and enjoy both of these health-enhancing beverages: coffee in the morning (for that wake-up jolt of caffeine) and tea (usually green) in the afternoon.

Enjoy What You've Just Read?

Get it delivered to your inbox! Signup for E-News and you'll get great content like you've just read along with other great tips and guides for Dr. Whitaker!

Meet Dr. Whitaker

For more than 30 years, Dr. Julian Whitaker has helped people regain their health with a combination of therapeutic lifestyle changes, targeted nutritional support, and other cutting-edge natural therapies. He is widely known for treating diabetes, but also routinely treats heart disease and other degenerative diseases. More About Dr. Whitaker