If you've been hanging around here long enough you'll know that I'm unimpressed by many of the lofty claims made for tea. Specifically in the area of health benefits and more specifically with regard to green tea - though white tea seems to be catching up in this area.
Which is not to say that I don't believe there are benefits to drinking tea - regardless of the color. I happen to believe that there are. But I also agree with the guy who said there's a sucker born every minute. Unfortunately, there never seems to be a shortage of con artists vying for the chance to fleece these suckers.
I've been meaning to discourse on this topic for a while, but Slate beat me to it recently, in the form of Jacob Weisberg's article, The Green Teaing of America. Well said.
Newsweek also tackled the topic a little while back, in slightly more uncertain terms, in a brief article called Up Close and Edible: Green Tea.
From the Australian press, here's an article called Beware the Hype if Going Alternative, which discusses claims made for tea and other products.
If you thought that Coke's Eniviga was going to be the only so-called calorie-burning tea drink on the block, guess again. Here's the Web site for Celsius, a beverage that comes in five flavors, all of which contain "Green Tea leaf extract," among other things.
Last up, is a piece that doesn't have to do with tea, but which reports on a beverage maker - GlaxoSmithKline - that admitted to misleading consumers regarding alleged health benefits.
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2 comments:
I do report these news stories that come out over at my blog, but I too agree with you on this hype. I believe tea has health benefits, but the crazy marketing that goes on to try an sell it as some miracle drug is outrageous.
To me, all it does is drive up the prices with more people drinking not to enjoy, but to just get some "health benefit". Myself, I enjoy the many flavors regardless. And, if there is some health benefit, so be it.
Peace and Joy to you!
Amadeus
www.teapotdiversions.com
Word up. I don't know whether to blame the media's obsession with sensationalist reporting or our culture's obsession with miracle cures and aversion to rationality, but people are far to quick to jump on the "tea cures cancer and will help you lose 80 pounds!" bandwagon.
Interesting set of stories, thanks.
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