A study using data from the UK Biobank has found that drinking two or more cups of black tea daily is associated with a 9% to 13% lower risk of death compared to non-tea drinkers. The findings, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, suggest the benefit is consistent regardless of whether milk or sugar is added, or the preferred tea temperature.
Researchers from the US National Institutes of Health analysed data from half a million men and women aged 40 to 69, of whom 85% reported regular tea consumption. Among tea drinkers, 89% consumed black tea. The study followed participants for over a decade after an initial questionnaire completed between 2006 and 2010.
The results were also unaffected by genetic variants that influence how quickly caffeine is metabolised. Professor Fernando Rodriguez Artalejo of the Autonomous University of Madrid described the research as a substantial advance, noting that most previous studies were conducted in Asia where green tea is prevalent, and European studies were small and inconclusive.
Artalejo cautioned that the study does not definitively prove tea causes lower mortality, as other health factors associated with tea drinking could be responsible. The findings add to growing evidence linking tea and coffee consumption to health benefits, including a separate study published in November that found a 32% lower risk of stroke among those who drank two to three cups of coffee and two to three cups of tea daily.
