New Study Finds Drinking This Popular Beverage May Lower Risk of Early Death
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below."
A new study found two or more cups of black tea per day could lower the risk of early death from cardiovascular disease, ischemic heart disease, and stroke.
Researchers determined drinking regular black tea could lower the risk of premature death by 13%.
Experts agree black tea can be beneficial but beware of overloading it with too much cream and sugar.
We’ve long known the benefits of herbal tea, having turned to peppermint tea, and oolong for many of our ailments. But new research is shaking up what’s in our cup. A new study found that drinking two or more cups of black tea a day could lower the risk of early death.
The study, published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, aimed to determine if daily tea drinking could provide health benefits. Researchers looked at mortality rates of nearly 500,000 men and women 40 to 69 years old in the UK Biobank. Participants’ information came from a self-reported questionnaire on health habits, which included inquiring about their average tea intake from 2006 to 2010.
When scientists followed up about 10 years later, they found that those who drank two or more cups of black tea per day were less likely to have died from cardiovascular disease, ischemic heart disease, and stroke—as much as 13% less likely.
The study found almost 85% of participants reported drinking tea overall, with 89% drinking black tea specifically. Most participants who drank tea had between two to five cups per day, while 19% drank more than six cups daily. The research found those who drank more than three cups of tea per day did not have a lower mortality risk than those who drank between one and three cups. Though the study didn’t find more tea was bad for you, it did find that those who drank more cups of tea per day were more likely to follow other unhealthy habits (like smoking) that could impact mortality. Interestingly, the study found similar results regardless of whether participants also drank coffee or not.
And surprisingly, whether you take your tea with milk and sugar or drink it black may not make as much of a difference as you might think. Researchers didn’t find any reduction in health benefits in those who opted to take their tea with milk and sugar compared with those who drank it black.
Despite this, Robin Foroutan, M.S., R.D., an integrative medicine dietitian does note that skipping sugar in tea or coffee can maximize its health benefits. Jackie Newgent, R.D.N., C.D.N., plant-forward culinary nutritionist and author of The Clean & Simple Diabetes Cookbook agrees, noting you can add some citrus wedges, gingerroot, cinnamon, or mint to your cup for some extra flavor instead.
Though other teas tend to get more attention, this isn’t the first time black tea has been shown to have some serious health perks. Research has found black tea can help aid weight loss, and additional research found that black tea could help with reducing waist circumference.
“Both green and black tea are high in phytonutrients called catechin polyphenols, which are potent antioxidants and free radical scavengers. That means they help your body balance inflammation, which is why tea is considered an anti-inflammatory beverage,” says Foroutan.
But this doesn’t necessarily mean you need to add a cup or two of tea every day to live a longer life—especially if it’s not already in your routine. The study has some limitations, noting that researchers did not assess for the specific type of tea intake, like portion size or tea strength. Additionally, there are many other factors that were not considered which may impact a tea drinker’s risk for early death.
“Two or more cups per day seems to be the magic number, however, these study results shouldn’t be considered a free pass for everyone to gulp down as much tea as they want, since there can be high risks to high caffeine intake for some individuals, including people with heart conditions,” Newgent says.
But, for those who don’t need to limit their caffeine intake, Newgent says a couple of cups of tea can be a healthy part of your diet. Especially thanks to the anti-inflammatory benefits associated with black tea in particular.
You Might Also Like