A recent report in Bloomberg Magazine says that drinking tea may improve alertness. “Tea may improve the ability to concentrate because of a substance found almost exclusively in several types of the beverage, according to research presented at a conference highlighting ties between tea and good health. Theanine, an amino acid  present in black, green and oolong teas, actively alters the attention networks of the brain to improve both calmness and alertness, according to John Foxe, a neuroscience professor at City College of the City University of New York.”
Drinking Tea May Improve Alertness, Scientist Says, September 18, 2007
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A recent article in USA Today reported on the health benefits of tea, particularly green tea. “The most fascinating thing is, to my knowledge, there is no other natural product known that has such diversified effects,” says Hasan Mukhtar, vice chair of dermatology at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Mukhtar and other tea researchers point to tea’s 5,000-year track record of safety and say at the very least, drinking tea can’t hurt, and, most likely, it can help.
Put the Kettle On: It’s Good for You - Evidence Pours In that Tea Is Stepped in Health Benefits, October 8, 2007
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A newly released study shows that adults who consumed three or more cups of green tea per day had a lower risk of death due to cardiovascular disease. The study, conducted by the Tohoku University School of Public Policy in Japan, followed 40,530 Japanese adults, ages 40 to 79 years, with no history of stroke, coronary heart disease or cancer at baseline beginning in 1994. The study followed all participants for up to 11 years for death from all causes and for up to 7 years for death from a specific cause. Participants who consumed 5 or more cups of tea per day had a 16 percent lower risk of all-cause mortality and a 26 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease than participants who consumed less than 1 cup of tea per day. The study also states, “If green tea does protect humans against CVD or cancer, it is expected that consumption of this beverage would substantially contribute to the prolonging of life expectancy, given that CVD and cancer are the two leading causes of death worldwide.”
The Ohsaki Study, Journal of the American Medical Association, September 13, 2006
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A recently released study suggests that drinking just one cup a day of green or black tea may lower the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer in women by 24 percent. By drinking at least two cups, the risk appears to drop by 48 percent. These conclusions were drawn as a result of a 15-year survey conducted by researchers at the Swedish Mammography Cohort of the tea-drinking habits of over 61,000 women between the ages of 41 and 76.
Susanna C. Larsson, MSc; Alicja Wolk, DMSc, Archives of Internal Medicine, December 26, 2005
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According to a online report published by the Science and Development Network in June 2005, a study at the Vivekanada Institute of Medical Sciences in Kolkata, India suggests that drinking black tea could help prevent oral cancer.
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According to an article recently published online by Mature Resources, researchers are studying tea for possible use in the prevention and treatment of a variety of cancers. Investigators are especially interested in the antioxidants - called catechins - found in tea.
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According to a report published in Forbes Magazine on June 17, 2005, new research suggests that green tea, already lauded for its cancer-fighting ability, may also protect against certain autoimmune diseases.

A report in the March 2005 issue of Specialty Coffee Retailer Magazine, “A Healthy Take on Tea”, includes comments from Elliot Johnson, President of the Mark T. Wendell Tea Company.
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Recent research exploring the potential health attributes of tea is leading many scientists to agree that tea, both black and green, may contribute positively to a healthy lifestyle. “Fruits, vegetables and tea all contain important antioxidants. Research suggests these phytonutrients may contribute substantially to the promotion of health and the prevention of chronic disease. Recent research studies reveal the antioxidants in tea may inhibit the growth of cancer cells, support dental health, increase bone density and strengthen cardiovascular health”, stated Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D., Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.
All about Tea pamphlet, Tea Council of the USA, 2003.
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In 2002, The Third International Symposium on Tea & Human Health discussed the latest research focusing on the important contributions tea makes to our health. Thanks to an abundance of flavonoid antioxidants, tea is being closely examined for its potential contributions to heart health and its apparent protective effects against chronic diseases and infections. Studies suggest that as few as four servings of tea a day may have a positive impact on your health.
The New York Times, September 30, 2002.
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According to a study published in Circulation: The Journal of the American Heart Association, heart attack patients who were tea drinkers decreased their risk of death by up to 44 percent, as compared to non-tea drinkers. Flavonoids are theorized to improve the lining of blood vessels, accounting for the decrease.
U.S. News and World Report, May 20, 2002.
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In 2003, researchers at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston have found evidence in a recent study that ordinary tea may prime the immune system to fend off attacks from bacteria and other pathogens. The study looked at the effects on 11 healthy non-tea drinkers and compared them with 10 healthy people who began drinking coffee. The researchers found that drinking 20 ounces of tea every day for at least two weeks doubled or tripled the immune system’s output of an infection-fighting substance called interferon gamma. Apparently the body metabolizes the tea into molecules that mimic the surface proteins of the bacteria, jump-starting the immune system so that when real bugs show up, they can more easily be dispatched.
Christine Gorman, Time Magazine, May 5, 2003

Recent research has concluded that green tea is loaded with polyphenols, a class of phytochemicals with 100 times the antioxidant punch of vitamin C. Laboratory experiments suggest that one group of polyphenols in green tea called catechins may inhibit the growth of new blood vessels, which some scientists think may help prevent cancer by depriving early tumors of nourishment. (Catechins may also prevent DNA damage caused by carcinogens from occurring in the first place.) Population studies in China, where tea is consumed in about the same quantities as coffee in the West, link drinking green tea daily with a lowered risk of stomach, esophageal and liver cancers. Studies in Japan show that consuming 10 cups a day may reduce the risk of heart disease. Scientists suspect that black tea may be equally effective.
Time Magazine, January 21, 2002.