5 Ways Chai Tea Can Improve Your Health
Key takeaways:
“Chai tea” is a term used in the U.S. to refer to a style of tea that originated in India. Chai tea is traditionally made with black tea, a variety of spices, milk, and a sweetener.
The black tea and spices used in chai have potential benefits for heart health, blood sugar, and digestion.
There aren’t many downsides to drinking chai tea in moderation. But chai tea contains caffeine. And some pre-packaged mixes contain a high amount of sugar.
Table of contents
If you need a pick-me-up in the morning or simply crave a warm beverage in your hands, you have plenty of options. If you don’t drink coffee, or perhaps just want a break from it, chai tea can be a great choice. But is chai tea actually good for you?
Let’s take a look at what’s in it and how its ingredients may impact your health.
What is chai tea?
Chai tea is a drink containing black tea, spices, milk, and a sweetener. It originated in India. “Chai” is actually the Hindi word for tea (any tea), while “chai masala” is the spiced tea with milk and sweetener. But in the U.S. and many other places, this drink is often called “chai tea.”
Common spices in chai tea include:
Cardamom
Cinnamon
Ginger
Cloves
Black peppercorns
Star anise
Some blends also include fennel, vanilla, and nutmeg.
Black tea vs. green tea: Green tea may be healthier overall since it has less caffeine and more disease-fighting antioxidants. But both teas have benefits for your health.
The best teas for digestion and gut health: Peppermint, chamomile, and green tea are just a few of the teas that may help ease uncomfortable digestive symptoms.
Is coffee actually good for you? Your coffee habit may come with health benefits, thanks to antioxidants that help decrease your risk of chronic conditions.
How to make chai tea
To make chai tea at home, you can buy it in a couple different forms, including:
Teabags: You brew these before adding milk and your choice of (optional) sweetener.
Liquid or powder concentrate: This can be mixed with milk to enjoy either hot or cold. (Some types of chai tea powder and chai tea concentrate have to be brewed with water before adding milk.)
You can also buy ready-to-go chai tea lattes from most cafes. Usually, these drinks are made with a liquid concentrate, hot water, steamed milk, and sugar.
5 benefits of drinking chai tea
There isn’t much research on chai tea specifically. But we can get a sense of its potential health benefits by looking at its ingredients, many of which have been well-studied. Here are five ways chai tea may improve your health.
1. Great source of antioxidants
Black tea contains powerful antioxidants. Antioxidants are plant compounds that lower inflammation and protect your body’s cells from damage, which can increase the risk of conditions including:
Cancer
Heart disease
Alzheimer's disease
Parkinson’s disease
Type 2 diabetes
Kidney disease
Spices also provide antioxidants. And the spices used in chai tea — like cardamom, black pepper, and ginger — contain antioxidants that may help reduce inflammation and slow the growth of tumors.
2. Heart health
Some research links black tea to a lower risk of death, mainly from heart disease and stroke. And cinnamon — one of the main spices in chai tea — also has potential benefits for your heart. Cinnamon has been found to:
Decrease blood pressure
Raise “good” cholesterol — high-density lipoprotein (HDL)
Lower “bad” cholesterol — low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
3. Blood sugar management
There are a few different ways chai tea may support your blood sugar levels.
Chai contains cinnamon, which may help insulin be more effective. Insulin is the hormone that helps regulate blood sugar levels after eating. So, by helping insulin work well, cinnamon helps keep blood sugar levels stable.
The ginger in chai also supports healthy blood sugar. Research suggests that consuming ginger may significantly help improve hemoglobin A1C — a marker of longer-term blood sugar control.
Finally, drinking black tea may help lower blood sugar levels after meals in healthy adults and those with prediabetes. This is likely because of black tea’s polyphenols — plant compounds that act as antioxidants.
4. Digestion
The ginger in chai tea may support digestion in a couple different ways, including:
Lowering inflammation in the gut: This can help with conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), gastritis (inflammation of your stomach), and stomach ulcers.
Speeding up digestion: It does this by increasing how fast the stomach empties. This may help people who experience stomach upset from delayed gastric emptying. But more research is needed before we know whether this can help everyone or just those with this health condition.
5. Brain function
The black tea in chai contains L-theanine, an amino acid with antioxidant properties. Research suggests that the combination of L-theanine and caffeine may support brain function, specifically by increasing attention and focus.
Downsides and negative effects of chai tea
Drinking chai tea in moderation as part of a balanced diet has no downsides for most people. Still, there are a few considerations to keep in mind.
Sugar
Chai tea can be high in sugar, which takes away from its health benefits. Many chai concentrates and ready-to-go chai tea lattes have added sugar. Some have over 20 g of added sugar per serving. To put that in context, the American Heart Association recommends the following daily limits for added sugar:
For women: 25 g (6 tsp)
For men: 36 g (9 tsp)
You can read nutrition labels and see how much sugar is in the chai tea you drink. Chai teabags don’t usually contain sugar, so you can control how much sweetener to add. Try adding a small amount of natural sweetener such as honey.
Caffeine
Chai tea contains caffeine. The amount varies, but it usually has 20 mg to 40 mg per cup. This is significantly less than the amount of caffeine in brewed coffee (95 mg to 165 mg). But it’s a good idea to be aware of caffeine content, especially if you consume other drinks or foods with caffeine.
The FDA recommends having no more than 400 mg of caffeine per day. But caffeine affects everyone differently, so pay attention to how you feel after consuming it. You can also look for decaffeinated chai tea.
Frequently asked questions
Because of the caffeine it contains, you may be better off having chai tea in the morning. Consuming caffeinated chai tea at night — or even several hours before bedtime — has a higher likelihood of interfering with sleep. But every person reacts differently to caffeine.
Use the type of milk you like best, and the one that best meets your health needs. For example, if you’re trying to reduce your sugar intake, unsweetened almond milk may be a good choice. But if your goal is to add more protein to your meal, you might choose unsweetened soy milk or low-fat cow’s milk.
Drinking chai tea every day can be a nutritious part of a balanced diet. Just pay attention to sugar and caffeine content to make sure you’re not getting too much of either.
The bottom line
Chai tea is a healthy beverage that’s rich in antioxidants and full of flavor. Both the black tea and spices in chai tea have potential benefits for your heart, gut, and brain health. Chai may also support blood sugar levels. Try to choose types that contain minimal added sugar. And be mindful of how much of it you’re drinking, since most chai tea contains caffeine.
Why trust our experts?
References
American Heart Association. (2024). How much sugar is too much?
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