Drinking Tea Inhibits Anthrax, Researchers Say

Scientists in Wales have found that antibacterial compounds in tea can slow the spread of anthrax infection, the Cardiff Western Mail reported today (see GSN, Dec. 19, 2007).

“We found that special components in tea such as polyphenols have the ability to inhibit the activity of anthrax quite considerably,” said Les Baillie, an anthrax expert at Cardiff University.

The experiment, which compared the antimicrobial properties of coffee and tea, started as a friendly spat between the Welsh team and U.S. scientists from the University of Maryland’s Medical Biotechnology Center in Baltimore.

“The discovery came out of some Friday afternoon science.  Our American colleagues were drinking vast amounts of Starbucks coffee and we wanted to show them how much better tea was for you,” Baillie said.

“We decided to research, under very strict laboratory conditions, if English breakfast tea was more effective than a commercially available American medium-roast coffee at killing anthrax,” he said.

However, Baillie warned not to count on tea as an antidote to the biological warfare and terror agent.

“I certainly wouldn’t suggest anyone who discovers anthrax, not to call the emergency services and just pour a cup of tea over it,” Baillie said.

“But I like the idea a nice cup of tea could help to get you through a moment of terror.  It’s a very British way of dealing with a problem,” he added.

The researchers also found that milk neutralizes tea’s ability to counter anthrax infection (Tim Lewis, Western Mail, March 14).

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