With 500 million molds in just one gram, drinking ripe tea is equal to drinking dirty water? Is drinking pu-erh tea good for health or cancer?

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I. Pu-erh tea contains aflatoxin, which is toxic and carcinogenic?

The claim that pu-erh tea is carcinogenic came from an article published by Fang Zhouzi, who justifiably pointed out the multiple sins of pu-erh tea in the article, arguing that pu-erh tea is easily infected with aflatoxin and other fungal toxins, which will increase the risk of cancer in people's bodies after drinking it.

Is it true that normal pu-erh tea contains aflatoxin?

In this regard, the Shenzhen Consumer Council conducted a special test in which experimenters randomly purchased 10 different samples of pu-erh tea on the market, and the results were not detected with aflatoxin.

No matter what, Consumer Reports also conducted a test, selecting 8 different pu-erh teas on the market, with pu-erh storage times ranging from a few months to a few years, and the results were also all undetected for aflatoxin.

Photo source: Consumer Reports

Professor Zhao Lichao of the School of Food at South China Agricultural University said that pu-erh is indeed tea produced through mold fermentation, but the main one used is Aspergillus niger, which is a completely different substance from Aspergillus flavus. Although Aspergillus flavus is common within nature and may fly onto tea leaves during processing, the processing temperature of Pu'er is not suitable for the growth of Aspergillus flavus, and Aspergillus niger will also inhibit the growth of Aspergillus flavus.

For those who love pu-erh tea, it is perfectly safe to drink it on a daily basis, but care should be taken to store it well to avoid mold and deterioration due to improper storage, and aflatoxin may indeed grow within this tea.

2. These 2 tea rumors cannot be trusted either

In addition to the claim that it will cause cancer, there are other rumors about pu-erh tea, are these claims based on science?

1. Pu-erh tea has a lot of mold, and drinking Pu-erh tea is drinking dirty water?

Rumors say that pu-erh tea requires the participation of many kinds of molds in the production process, and when people drink pu-erh tea, it is just like drinking bacteria, which will bring health risks.

It is undeniable that Pu-erh tea does require the use of many kinds of bacteria such as Aspergillus niger, Penicillium spp. and Yeast during the tea processing, but most of these bacteria are beneficial to health. The most abundant of them, Aspergillus niger, will produce pectin, polysaccharide, protein and many other organic substances during fermentation, which not only enhance the taste of pu-erh tea, but also improve the nutritional value. Some of the claims that there are many bacteria in pu-erh tea are completely nonsensical.

2. Can't drink tea after 3 or 4 years?

After the shelf life of tea leaves, whether or not they can still be consumed depends mainly on whether they are stored properly. On the other hand, if the tea has not deteriorated, it can be consumed normally.

The best period to enjoy the taste of different teas is different:

3. 490,000 people study: Drinking 2-3 cups of tea a day may prolong life

A study conducted by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, in which researchers analyzed data from nearly 500,000 subjects within the UK Biobank.

The results found that black tea consumption was associated with a lower risk of death. Specifically, subjects who consumed ≥2 cups of black tea daily had a 9-13% lower risk of death compared to non-drinkers. Also, subjects who drank black tea had a reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease, stroke, and other conditions.

In addition, drinking tea has these benefits:

The study in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology noted that regular tea drinking was associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular events, all-cause mortality, and in particular, long-term tea drinkers, men, and green tea drinkers had more significant health benefits significant.

Researchers at Peking University School of Public Health published a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that analyzed data from more than 500,000 adults in China and found that regular green tea drinking was helpful in preventing type 2 diabetes, and for those who already had the disease, drinking green tea could help reduce the risk of all-cause mortality .

A study by researchers at Huashan Hospital of Fudan University in China, published in the Nature subjournal Translational Psychiatry, found that people who drank tea had a 16% lower risk of developing dementia compared to those who did not drink tea.

Fourth, although drinking tea is good, but also pay attention to these four points

It is worth reminding that although drinking tea can bring health benefits, these four types of tea are recommended that you better not drink.

1. Don't drink tea that is too hot

The maximum temperature our esophageal mucosa can tolerate is 65°C. Ingesting food that is too hot can lead to damage to the esophageal mucosa, although the mucosa has the function of self-repair. However, the long-term repeated damage and repair, in the process is easy to mutate and easily induce the occurrence of esophageal cancer.

2. Should not drink tea on an empty stomach

Drinking tea on an empty stomach, some active substances in the tea leaves will combine with proteins in the stomach, which will bring adverse stimulation to the stomach and may also cause dizziness and panic.

3. Drink less or no strong tea

There is a large amount of caffeine in strong tea, and excessive drinking is likely to cause increased heart burden, dizziness, headaches and other occurrences, and also bring bad stimulation to the stomach, which is extremely bad for health.

4. Not to drink tea after meals

The tannic acid in tea will inhibit the secretion of gastric acid and intestinal fluid after entering the gastrointestinal tract, which can easily induce indigestion. It also combines with proteins to form tannins with an astringent effect, which then tends to cause dry stools.

Tea drinking is a culture that has been passed down in China for thousands of years, and you can drink tea properly on a daily basis for some health benefits. However, it is important to note that several of the above precautions must be avoided.