Staying Healthy
Drinking black tea linked to longevity
News briefs
- Reviewed by Anthony L. Komaroff, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Health Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
Break out the teacups: it may be time for a toast to black tea, one of the most popular beverages in the world. A large study published online Aug. 29, 2022, by Annals of Internal Medicine found that drinking black tea was associated with a longer life. Researchers evaluated the self-reported tea-drinking habits of about half a million middle-aged people in the United Kingdom and followed them for more than 11 years. Most of the participants (85%) said they regularly drank tea, and 89% of the tea drinkers said they drank black tea. Compared with people who didn't drink black tea, those who had two or more cups of black tea per day had a 9% to 13% lower risk of premature death from any cause, including lower rates of death from cardiovascular disease or stroke. The results weren't affected if tea drinkers added milk or sugar to their tea; if the tea was warm, hot, or very hot; if tea drinkers also drank coffee; or if tea drinkers were extremely sensitive to caffeine.
The study was observational and therefore can't prove that drinking black tea caused people to live longer, but we do know that black tea is rich in plant chemicals (phytochemicals), especially theaflavins, which are associated with health benefits.
About the Author
Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter
About the Reviewer
Anthony L. Komaroff, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Health Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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