There has been a constant battle over what beverage is the healthiest when compared to the other. This is a struggle most people can relate to since deciding which one is more beneficial to our body can be a difficult and tedious process.

Coffee is a long enjoyed drink that is currently being scientifically proven to have several health benefits that accompany the obvious energy. This brewed beverage may aid in the prevention of common illnesses such as diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and liver cancer. In fact, coffee can further improve the liver’s health by avoiding disorders like PSC and cirrhosis. If this is not enough to convince you of coffee’s virtues, another study has discovered that coffee can decrease the risk of heart failure.

The opposing side possesses a large range of plants, and, therefore, an equally massive plethora of advantages. One of the most well-known benefits is the calming effect. Chamomile, ginger, lavender, and even dandelion root are all types of plants that, when made into a tea, has that soothing benefit. Another reason to consider tea as the superior drink is that sometimes people switch from coffee to tea because the latter has less caffeine.

In spite of the seeming wonderfulness of these two drinks, they both contain similar “dark sides”. Coffee actually contains the most antioxidants than anything else in the U.S. While tea also holds some caffeine as well, it’s not as much as coffee. Another negative side-effect of coffee includes some mental issues, such as depression and anxiety. On the other hand, tea contains sugar which requires the monitoring of blood sugar levels by diabetics.

After a careful analysis, it seems that tea may hold the upper hand in this argument, but science is ever-changing so the final decision is still left to the reader to weight the final pros and cons before they take a sip of whatever hot drink they choose.

<Viola Shin, Crescenta Valley High School 10th Grad>