What’s in Your Teacup? Enjoy Your Tea More Without the Microplastics and Dioxins
- © Nils Osmar 2025. January 28, 2025
- This post is not intended as, and should not be taken as, medical advice.
- See full Medical Disclaimer
Many people in our community drink tea hoping for an anti-aging benefit. There are numerous studies suggesting that tea — particularly the organic varieties — may indeed be a good choice for those interested in healthy longevity. Black teas, green teas and white teas (which originate from the same plant as green teas) are all associated with possible health benefits.
There Are Studies Suggesting That Tea May:
- Fight Inflammation: Several studies suggest white tea can help reduce inflammation in skin cells caused by free radicals. See study
- Support Heart Health. White tea contains polyphenols that may help relax blood vessels, potentially lowering the risk of heart disease. See article
- Improve Insulin Sensitivity Some animal studies suggest white tea could reduce insulin resistance, a key factor in conditions like diabetes.
- Protect Against Cancer In vitro studies show white tea may help kill or slow the spread of certain cancer cells, including lung and colon cancer.
- Support Bone Strength Antioxidants in white tea may help protect against osteoporosis by reducing bone breakdown caused by inflammation and free radicals.
- Protect Against Alzheimer’s Some studies link tea drinking to lower risks of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Lab research suggests white tea compounds may help prevent harmful protein buildup in the brain. See study
- Slow Skin Aging Both white and green teas may reduce signs of aging both internally and externally. It appears to protect skin from UV damage, reduce wrinkling, and reduce the impact of free radicals. See study
Microplastic Dangers
- Part of the Rekindle Protocol is avoiding pollution, as much as possible, from all sources. The pollutants can sometimes be from unexpected sources.
- I drink tea myself, and enjoy it. I’m careful, though, to avoid tea in bags.
- One reason is the danger of microplastics. A single teabag can release billions of particles of microplastics into a cup.
- Even paper teabags can sometimes be sealed shut with microplastics.
- See study: Health risks posed by microplastics in tea bags: microplastic pollution – a truly global problem
Dioxins
- Even if you avoid plastic teabags, another danger to be aware of is the possible presence of dioxins.
- Dioxins are highly damaging chemicals that can be present in tea bags, particularly those that have been bleached with chlorine.
- Like microplastics, they can accumulate in the environment and in the human body.
- If you drink an occasional cup of tea made with bleached teabags your exposure will be minimal, but if drink tea every day, switching to using an infuser may cut down significantly on your exposure.
- Even if the company state they are not using plastics in their bags, some using paper bleached with dioxinsSee study: Risk associated with potential exposure to dioxin through consumption of tea brewed using tea bags containing bleached pulp
So What to Do?
- A good alternative is to prepare tea using a metal infuser (stainless steel is a good choice) – making sure that the infuser doesn’t have a plastic lining.
- Make sure, also, that if you are buying looseleaf tea, the bag it comes in is made of foil rather than plastic.
- If you cool your tea and transport it, don’t drink it out of plastic containers — they’re notorious for breaking down into microplastics and contaminating the liquids in them.
- Even simple things like stirring your tea with a plastic spoon, or adding sweeteners stored in plastic containers, can add some microplastics. Recent studies have shown that plastic utensils, can release microplastics into food and beverages, especially in the presence heat. Stir tea and other hot beverages instead with bamboo, metal, or wood utensils
- I made a point recently of removing all plastics from my kitchen, including spoons and spatulas. I’m shifting as much as possible to buying food items that are sold and stored in glass rather than plastic.
Not medical advice
This article is not intended as, and should not be taken as, medical advice. I’m not advising that people eat any particular diet or take any particular supplement(s), just reporting on what I’m doing. Supplements, like medications and other interventions, can have side effects; I would encourage people to research both possible benefits and side effects before starting on any supplementation regimen, and consult with a medical professional about any issues which might have a medical component. See full Medical Disclaimer
Other resources
- My Youtube channel Pathways to Longevity
- My Facebook group: Anti-Aging and Life Extension,
