Drinking two cups of tea a day could help you live longer!
Two cups a day could lower the risk of mortality by up to 13%
Last updated 30th Aug 2022
It's good news for tea drinkers as a study suggests that having regular brews could be associated with a longer life!
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health say that when compared with those who do not drink tea, people who consumed two or more cups each day have between a 9% and 13% lower risk of cardiovascular disease mortality.
According to the study adding milk or sugar to your tea or whether you also drink coffee, does not impact these findings.
The findings were discovered by using data from the UK Biobank - a large-scale database which has documented the health and tea consumption of half a million people aged 40 - 69.
This cohort of people regularly answered questionnaires from 2006 to 2010.
85% of these study participants reported that they regularly drink tea and of those, 89% said they drank black tea.
Fernando Rodríguez Artalejo, professor of preventive medicine and public health at the Autonomous University of Madrid, described the research as representing “a substantial advance in the field."
He said: “This article shows that regular consumption of black tea (the most widely consumed tea in Europe) is associated with a modest reduction in total and, especially, cardiovascular disease mortality over 10 years in a middle-aged, mostly white, adult general population.”
The professor also stressed that the study does not definitively establish that tea is the cause of the lower mortality of tea drinkers, because it cannot exclude that this is down to other health factors associated with tea consumption.
Here are some reasons why tea is a great drink...
1) Tea gives you that cosy feeling
If you don't like coffee and you want that warm cosy feeling, there's always tea.
2) Tea is more than just a drink
Tea can be much more than just a cuppa. Afternoon tea is a favourite amongst many, it's oh-so British. Pass the cucumber sandwich please!
3) It 'can' cure hangovers - according to some
Some people swear a good cuppa cures a hangover, although of course you should drink responsibly and not get one in the first place!
4) It’s a great excuse to have a catch-up with friends
Of course it's a great excuse to catch up with friends, but at the moment with the UK in lockdown it will have to be a virtual catch up for now.
Pop the kettle on!
5) It eases us into the day
We've all been there, struggling to get up when it's dark in the morning, so many will grab a cup of tea to help us.
6) Tea never leaves us twitching, wired or irate like coffee can
Well, not that we know of anyway...
7) The perfect accompaniment to cake and biscuits
Tea is the perfect accompaniment to cake after a long day out in the cold. Don't forget a good biscuit. Dunking in coffee never compares.
8) There are so many flavours
There's a brew for every occasion, green, black, white, oolong…
9) Tea can be good for your health
Tea contains antioxidants which are good for you, and could help protect against diseases like cancer, apparently.
10) Tea makes everything OK
Whether it's been a good day, or one of those days that makes you want to hide in bed forever… A cup of tea will always make everything OK.