Scientists have named a drink that has unique health benefits

 Herbal teas are popular all over the world not only for their taste and refreshing effect, but also for their wide range of recognized health benefits. But the potential value of a category of compounds called lipids found in teas has been relatively unexplored. Hokkaido University researchers led by Associate Professor Siddabasave Gowda and Professor Shu-Ping Hui from the Faculty of Health Sciences identified 341 molecular species from five categories of lipids in samples of four types of herbal tea. They published their results in the journal Food Chemistry.

Lipids are a diverse collection of natural substances that have the property of being insoluble in water. They include all the fats and oils that are common ingredients in many foods, but they have generally not been studied as important components of tea, writes News wise.

The Hokkaido team selected four types of tea for an initial herbal analysis. The latter originate from Japan and have been widely used as tea since ancient times due to their medicinal properties. The medicinal properties of these and other herbal teas include antioxidant, anti-glycemic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-allergic, anti-carcinogenic, anti-thrombotic, vasodilator, anti-mutagenic and rejuvenating effects.

Lipids in teas were separated and identified by combining two modern analytical methods - high performance liquid chromatography and Orbitrap linear ion trap mass spectrometry.

The analysis revealed significant differences in the lipid composition of the four types of tea, with each type containing some known biologically active lipids. Among them was a distinct category of lipids called short-chain hydroxy fatty acid esters (SFAHFAs), some of which had never before been identified in plants. SFAHFAs found in tea may be a new source of short-chain fatty acids, which are important metabolites for maintaining gut health.

"The discovery of these new SFAHFAs opens new avenues for research," the scientists say, adding that the concentration of lipids in tea is at a level that can be expected to have significant nutritional and medical implications for consumers.

The lipids identified also include α-linolenic acid, already known for its anti-inflammatory properties, and arachidonic acid, which is associated with a variety of health benefits. These two compounds are examples of a number of polyunsaturated fatty acids found in teas, a category of lipids that are well known for their nutritional properties.