Uplift Your Mood: Drink Tea!

Lipton Reveals Compelling Benefits of Tea at the 2nd American Society for Nutrition Middle East Congress

Every year, consumers in over 120 countries drink 117 billion cups of Unilever tea, and, as the world’s biggest tea company, Lipton buys 12 % of the global black tea crop.

Lipton, the world’s largest tea company revealed some compelling scientific research, proving the benefits of tea, the second most consumed drink across the globe, at the 2nd American Society for Nutrition Middle East Congress organized in Dubai.

Research had recently proven that the key ingredients found in tea have been found to help develop the ability to focus attention and have a positive effect on mood, according to Dr. Jane Rycroft, Category Nutrition Manager for Tea-based Beverages & Member of Lipton Institute of Tea, Unilever R&D, UK.

The Lipton Institute of Tea is Unilever’s dedicated tea research facility, based in the UK, and provides Lipton with access to world-class tea
experts. Scientific studies are conducted exploring the mental and physical benefits of tea, with the mission of increasing awareness and understanding, and ultimately creating teas for consumers. As well as research conducted directly by the Institute, it also funds and coordinates a large number of research projects at academic and research institutions around the world, making it the leading global authority on the benefits of tea and its ingredients, as well as tea preservation systems and tea leaf production.

At the congress, Dr. Rycroft presented a range of research from leading academics in the field, focusing on the positive effects of black tea on our ability to focus attention and feel alert. She pointed out that additional benefits also associated with regular tea drinking include a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke, potentially through affecting blood vessel function.

“The positive effects of tea on enhancing blood vessels is mainly attributed to the fact that tea is a rich source of flavonoids, which are beneficial compounds also found in fruits and vegetables”

Tea, a favorable drink across nations, is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water. A recent UK study showed that consuming 4 cups of tea a day was as hydrating as drinking an equivalent volume of water consolidating the fact that tea is an excellent source of hydration and comes second only to water based on several scientific hydration charts.

“Being a 0 calorie drink, tea can also be incorporated into any weight management programme. Furthermore, evidence shows that green tea can have a beneficial effect on body composition and Fat oxidation. These studies were done in Asian populations with a high Catechin green TEA”

People from the Middle East are very heavy drinkers of tea – a fact that prompted the factory in Jebel Ali, Unilever’s second largest tea manufacturing plant in the world. The factory produces 1 million tea bags per hour, excluding the other variants of tea which include loose tea that the factory produces.

Lipton also has research centers and regional representatives strategically located in both major tea-growing regions – India & Kenya – and in key markets; USA, Japan and China.

About Jane Rycroft

Jane Rycroft joined Unilever in 1996, where she has primarily spent much of that time evaluating the psychological and physiological effects of Unilever products, specifically tea based beverages. Prior to that, Jane completed a BSc in Pharmacology from Manchester University in 1992, and she had also worked for the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council at Silsoe Research Institute in the UK.

During her time at Unilever, Jane also initiated research that aimed to explore the cognitive and mood effects of tea components, particularly theanine. Jane joined the beverages R&D team three years ago, where she works to ensure effective delivery of the health and vitality science into the beverages business.

Currently, she is Category Nutrition Manager for tea based beverages and is also responsible for nutritional inputs to all beverages projects across the globe. All in all, Jane strives to ensure that Lipton’s claims are consistent across the world, that they are substantiated by strong science, and are not misleading to our consumers.