Milk In Your Tea? Not A Good Idea

If you like tea, you probably drink it for pleasure, not for its health benefits. More than two billion people in the world drink tea. Many acquired a habit to add a bit of milk to their regular cup of tea. It is a matter of taste, but scientists now say that that drop of milk can completely negate all the benefits tea can have on our health. How is that possible?


What is in tea?

While many people drink tea because it is pleasant, soothing drink, tea has many health benefits, which were known to ancient cultures like Chinese and Indians.

Tea has many active ingredients that affect our health. It is particularly rich in antioxidants and vitamins. It is found to improve our immune system, to control blood sugar levels, reduce damage to cells and prevent cardiovascular diseases.

But, if you add milk to your tea, its beneficial effects on your vascular system go away.

How milk affects tea?

In a small study conducted on 16 healthy women, scientists compared the effects of tea on their vascular system, with tea, water and tea with milk. They found that tea relaxes blood vessels (improves flow-mediated dilation), but tea with milk does not.

Researchers believe that the most likely explanation is that the caseins, proteins found in milk, form complexes with catechins in tea, its most important flavonoids.

Interestingly, they found that proteins in soy milk have the same effect.

What can we do?

Thinks should not be as bad as scientists found, or those two billions of tea drinkers would have noticed by now. Strong black tea with milk and sugar is universal cure for all problems among English. Indians sell very strong tea with condensed milk on street corners, as a ” Ëœpick-me-up.”  But, if you do not want to spoil the benefits of your tea, try drinking it with honey and lemon, like Russians and other Slavic peoples. Or drink green tea neat, with nothing added, like so many Chinese and Japanese.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to follow all scientific advice when it comes to food and health. Sometimes, we just have to go with our instincts. If you find a cup of tea with a few drops of milk soothing and relaxing, it will probably offer you more benefits than those few drops of milk will take away.

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HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our blood alcohol, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years. Our team of health professionals, and researchers use peer reviewed studies as source elements in our articles. Our high quality content has been featured in a number of leading websites, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, Live Strong, GQ, and many more.

Hazel Austria
4. September 2020
Hazel Austria
4. September 2020
I stop drinking coffee because of my insomnia. So i start drinking green instead. At first its difficult for my taste but when a add some honey in it,i started to lovin it,,but when i dont have honey i put some milk in it and i also like it more than adding honey. Need to know more info about milk and tea,,pleasse help.thank you.

Morrisette Rattagan
26. July 2020
Morrisette Rattagan
26. July 2020
I have around 7 mugs of strong tea per day, milk no sugar. Same as my parents and same as my Grandfather, who lived to be 101. To say that tea with milk is bad for you based on 16 people is not only ridiculous but positively unsafe. What about giving up those 7 shots of milk per day, how does that impact on the calcium intake of those 16 women. Would it be unhealthy for menopausal women to give up that milk with it's calcium? If you are going to look into tea with or without milk, you really have to look at everything and I know there are people with dairy intolerance, but there are also people who are fine with dairy.

Arnab
3. June 2020
Arnab
3. June 2020
On empty stomach drinking black tea can make you feel nauseous. Drink black tea an hour after meal.

harold jitschak bueno de mesqui
17. May 2020
harold jitschak bueno de mesqui
17. May 2020
John Weisburger has shown that a few teaspoons of milk in tea can be even more beneficial than the tea alone but too much milk neutralize the anti-oxidants

Anummm
4. December 2019
Anummm
4. December 2019
I started to use tumeric in black tea with milk...any one knows it effects positiv or negative?

Tyler
12. June 2019
Tyler
12. June 2019
Not to mention the fact that the "study" they sited had a whopping 16 participants. That isn't enough to prove that lemons taste sour, let alone anything else.

Navid
3. February 2019
Navid
3. February 2019
This STUDY is baseless and unscientific. Tea is a mixture its not a compound, every ingredient in it has absolutely no impact on any other solvent or solute. It is explicitly unscientific and tea with milk dont have any of its own properties. All properties of Milk and Tea and Sugar are present in it. And one drop of milk addition cancels all benefits, is just a fairy tale.

Sapna
24. July 2018
Sapna
24. July 2018
I am drinking milk tea since 20 years still I am fit and fine ,I feel relax after drinking tea

Jatinder
19. July 2018
Jatinder
19. July 2018
To gain weight you need to take a heavy nutritious breakfast, else the body starts to break the fats and protein which you have accumulated.

Elkana
29. April 2018
Elkana
29. April 2018
I am very slim an do stressful job ,but drink milk tea every morning an eat by 12pm but want to gain wait, is it possible I can still gain wait?

incense
26. February 2018
incense
26. February 2018
Raw Milk is also good for Tea.

MANCHIT RAIKAR
21. February 2018
MANCHIT RAIKAR
21. February 2018
no ways!

Queenie
15. December 2017
Queenie
15. December 2017
I drink tea with milk before.. but when I search about "what would be the best time to drink tea" I ended up i page saying having tea with milk eliminates the benefits of tea. Then I started drinking tea with honey, and ginger(I need the anti inflammatory effect). Adding a lemon tastes so good also. I drink it twice a day. Early morning and before going to bed. I'm drinking milk separately but making sure it should be 2-3 hours before or after drinking a tea.

Kgalalelo
5. December 2017
Kgalalelo
5. December 2017
I drink three full mugs of joko black tea each day without milk and sugar I like it and simply enjoy it plain is this healthy

Ashutosh Mahajan
5. October 2017
Ashutosh Mahajan
5. October 2017
Milk is a Nature's great gift for human. Herbs added to herbal tea reacts very positively with milk. Many Bioflavonoids, Alkaloids, Glycosides and other Phytonutrients requires sugar for their digestion and transportation to the required site in our body. And Galactose is the most preferred sugar for these phytochemicals. Hence milk is very beneficial in herbal tea. As far as vitamins and minerals concerned, artificially prepared Vitamins and Minerals added to milk cannot be absorbed in our body efficiently whereas natural vitamins and minerals are binded with catalyst in their natural form which do not get affected by milk hence gets better absorbed through our intestines.

Prakriti Singh
30. September 2017
Prakriti Singh
30. September 2017
Can milk tea darken our lips?

Sam
13. June 2017
Sam
13. June 2017
Adding milk to your tea actually creates an insulin spike. Milk itself isn't high on the glycemic index, but it IS high on the insulin index. Anything in moderation I guess :) I drink milky tea all the time, but when I go on a fast, I avoid it as it can bring you out of a fast. check out intensive dietary management for all info regarding fat loss, diabetes and more. [Link deleted]

Xenia
28. April 2017
Xenia
28. April 2017
I regret reading this article, because as of now, I feel bad about drinking milk tea, ohohwnoooo!

FV
27. January 2017
FV
27. January 2017
How can we conclude anything in a study with only 16 women?

Casey
27. December 2016
Casey
27. December 2016
Is drinking green tea with almond milk bad? Because I drink sometimes 4 cups of it a day and it tastes good. Not sure of whether it's bad for me or not though.

Julie
17. December 2016
Julie
17. December 2016
This was a study of SIXTEEN PEOPLE, that's not conclusive at all. If it makes you happier mentally to drink it with milk that enjoyment alone is worth the happy hormones you are creating.

Romeo dey.
12. December 2016
Romeo dey.
12. December 2016
I am taking milk tea last 30 year no problem I enjoy but don't. Take it in empty stomach. Romeo

Niki
14. November 2016
Niki
14. November 2016
I was thinking the same thing but everybody says that this is not true :/

Niki
14. November 2016
Niki
14. November 2016
No,you can put honey in all kinds of tea,but only if you let it to cold a little bit..the lemon is ok

Niki
14. November 2016
Niki
14. November 2016
I don't know if it's dangerous,but if you are putting milk into your tea just for sweetness,I can tell you something that you could do without worries.Let your tea to cold a bit and then add a small spoon of honey,then mix,and you are ready to drink your sweet tea!

Jim
6. November 2016
Jim
6. November 2016
It would be helpful if you quoted your source so we could check it out ourselves.

Medea McEvoy
18. September 2016
Medea McEvoy
18. September 2016
Is almond milk ok ? not really milk

krishna
8. August 2016
krishna
8. August 2016
Suffering from cold headache from last 3 weeks doctor suggesting 3,4 days medicines after finushing the course very 2nd day its affecting again i dont know wt to do pla suggest something

ShameenAk
1. August 2016
ShameenAk
1. August 2016
now onwards I will only drink black tea with out milk

Ntombie
9. July 2016
Ntombie
9. July 2016
I enjoy drinking tea with both powder milk and fresh milk its helps me relax especially if I'm undergoing stress it helps me to come down. And helps me think clearly. I thank you

Daniele
24. June 2016
Daniele
24. June 2016
I drink mine with almond milk, which has but 1 gram of protein per cup (so a splash has a very low amount). How does this effect the benefits of my tea?

ron
12. June 2016
ron
12. June 2016
if milk is good so as tea, the combination must be better.

rashmi
6. June 2016
rashmi
6. June 2016
Drinking milk tea makes our body weak and restless is it so?

smita patil
29. May 2016
smita patil
29. May 2016
Green tea or black tea with heany or lemon is good idea, it prevents acidity

Swapnil S Kashikar
28. May 2016
Swapnil S Kashikar
28. May 2016
Mentql satisfaction is a big role to play here. People just can't change in a blink. And i personally been drinking tea with milk or milk tea per say,for over 27yrs now. I just can't imagine tea without milk :) . Apna chai tapri zindabaad :D

Chris
24. May 2016
Chris
24. May 2016
It's the tannins in the tea itself that promulgates a reaction on the stomach making you feel nauses, the same will probably occur with green tea if consumed early morning without eating breakfast!

Mamta
13. May 2016
Mamta
13. May 2016
Nice I for shared!

DR. no nothing
25. March 2016
DR. no nothing
25. March 2016
Yes, you may turn into a calf.

Achyutangshu Bagchi
23. March 2016
Achyutangshu Bagchi
23. March 2016
I drink tea twice a day with milk .I am a diabetic patient.Is it harmful for me.

Sandra Sebastian
23. February 2016
Sandra Sebastian
23. February 2016
I drink 3 cups of MILK TEA daily ..... is it dangerous for health ?????

Mayur
13. February 2016
Mayur
13. February 2016
Same with me.

Nomair
5. February 2016
Nomair
5. February 2016
any reffrence of the study conducted..name ,date place?

Heidi
1. February 2016
Heidi
1. February 2016
And how much milk was added in this study?

Paula
3. August 2015
Paula
3. August 2015
Why is it that when I drink black tea without milk I feel nauseous? But with a bit of milk it does the opposite, it can soothe or take away nausea altogether.

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Written by HealthStatus Team
Medical Writer & Editor

HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our blood alcohol, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years. Our team of health professionals, and researchers use peer reviewed studies as source elements in our articles. Our high quality content has been featured in a number of leading websites, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, Live Strong, GQ, and many more.

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