``Research has been going on in this field for the last decade, but concrete results are emerging only now, with tests in US universities confirming these beneficial effects on laboratory mice. Tests on humans are still underway and the results are expected soon,'' says Thomas Nellisery, of Hindustan Lever's tea research facility at Brookefields, near Bangalore.The flavonoids in tea have an anti-oxidation capacity, which does not allow harmful free radicals in the body to damage cells. ``Free radicals can be released in the body from breathing polluted air, exposure to pesticides, which can cause lesions thatlead to cancers or cause platelets to stick together, blocking arteries,'' says Nellisery.

Till a couple of years ago, the richest source of flavonoids was thought to be Vitamin C or beta carotene. ``But research shows that black or green tea has a more powerful source of flavonoids than these nutrients. And the tea compounds are more easily ingested than others. However, tea should not be taken as a substitute for fruit and vegetables,'' says V S Sitaram, marketing controller (beverages) of Brooke Bond India Ltd.

Over the years, studies have shown that green tea has several beneficial effects like lowering serum cholesterol, serum lipids and controlling blood pressure. This effect has been termed as the `far-east paradox', since green tea is consumed largely in Japan and China. ``While tea is shown to be protective, coffee has been found to be the culprit in relation to cardiovascular diseases and cancer,'' says a research paper presented at a recent scientific meet on tea and health.

In-vitro studiesdone at some US universities, like Rutgers and Penn State Universities, have shown that tea flavonoids have the capacity to reduce the free radicals. This has also been transposed to animal trials, but human trials are yet to be proved successfully. But what researchers do know is that each cup of tea contains 200 mg of flavonoids, but details on the amount needed for clear health benefits are being worked out by the US Drug Authorities, says Sitaram.

Research on tea and its effects are picking up with over 15 large research institutions working on this aspect. At the HLL research centre in Bangalore, 40 scientists are working on tea flavonoids. ``In collaboration with the Central Foodcraft Technical Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore, we are trying to `fingerprint' the different varieties of tea to check which has the highest quantities of flavonoids,'' says Nellisery. The centre aims at educating the public about the emerging information on the health benefits of tea and increasing awareness about therole of tea in health.With 650 million tonnes of tea being produced in the country annually and with HLL holding a market share of 26 per cent, the interest in promoting tea as a health drink obviously has its commercial advantages. But commerce apart, drinking that daily cup of tea may just prove to be god sent, going by the current research trends.