Intestinal Bacteria: Tea increases bifidobacteria
A variety of micro-organisms lives in our digestive tract.
Some of the enzymes secreted from microflora in the intestines help to digest and metabolize compounds in food.
Therefore, these micro-organisms are helpful to us, yet some other micro-organisms secrete harmful substances that predispose cells to carcinogenic.
Consumption of tea and its polyphenols, either chronically or over a period of weeks, reduces harmful Enterobacteriaceae and increases Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria that produce beneficial metabolites.
The gradual replacement of less desirable bacteria by beneficial bacteria in the intestine is one of the beneficial consequences of drinking tea.