Multiple studies have already shown that green tea and coffee are good for your health. According to a new study, this would also be the case with black tea. This study, published on Tuesday in the American journal Annals of Internal Medicineshows that “people who drink more than two cups a day are likely to live longer than others”.
The study was conducted among 500,000 Britons aged 40 to 69 who had completed a questionnaire between 2006 and 2010 about their tea consumption. 85% of them said they drink tea on a regular basis. Of this proportion, 89% drank black tea. Most of them consumed between two and five cups a day, 19% more than six cups.
A risk of mortality reduced by 9 to 13%
These black tea drinkers had a lower mortality risk from cardiovascular disease, ischemic heart disease and stroke. More generally, those who consumed more than two cups of tea daily had a mortality risk reduced by 9 to 13%. And it does not matter the preferred temperature of the tea, the addition of milk or sugar. The study also states that the results were similar “whether or not participants drank coffee.”
How to explain it? The researchers could not establish the reason for certain, but polyphenols (antioxidants found in tea) could be a factor in the explanation. According to one of the study’s authors, Maki Inoue-Choi, quoted by the Timesa National Cancer Institute researcher, tea is “very rich in bioactive compounds,” which reduce stress and inflammation.
“This study suggests that tea, even at high consumption levels, can be part of a healthy diet,” the researchers conclude.