Both tea and coffee provide an energy boost, but their caffeine contents vary considerably: Coffee generally contains two to four times more caffeine than tea; however, how much you consume per day matters: For most adults, 400 mg (equivalent to four or five 8-oz cups of coffee per day) should be safe; children should avoid caffeine completely and pregnant or nursing women should limit consumption to 200 mg daily.

If you’re sensitive to caffeine, tea may be the way to go. Also be mindful of when you take in each beverage – studies show that drinking coffee in the morning may boost concentration and mood but could keep you wired at bedtime making sleep difficult. Coffee and tea could have different impacts on gut microbiomes – both boast high soluble fiber levels with prebiotics providing food for bacteria in your digestive tract; research shows those who regularly enjoy either beverage typically have healthier gut bacteria.

Coffee isn’t just a reliable wake-up beverage – it also packs powerful antioxidants that can protect against chronic disease and premature aging. Studies suggest coffee may even help prevent diabetes while other research points to its use as a potential preventative against Parkinson’s disease and skin cancer risk reduction.

Coffee and tea both can have positive impacts on heart health, according to studies. Both beverages can reduce high blood pressure by decreasing calcium build-up in your arteries, decreasing your risk of stroke. Tea contains flavonoids which act as natural chemicals that reduce cardiovascular disease risk.

An extensive study tracking over half a million individuals revealed that those who consumed two or more cups of coffee daily were 17% less likely to die from any cause and 19% less likely from heart disease compared with those who did not drink coffee (this research is observational; therefore it cannot prove whether coffee and tea actually prolong life), however the results are intriguing.

Both coffee and tea contain plant compounds called chlorogenic acid that can help improve metabolic health by restricting sugar uptake by your liver, decreasing insulin sensitivity, acting as natural diuretics to flush excess sodium and water out of your kidneys, providing caffeine without anxiety and jitteriness, or serving as natural diuretics to flush excess sodium and water out from your system. If adding milk or cream, select unsweetened low-fat versions in order to limit added sugar which could have adverse health effects.