Mounting proof means that consuming a number of cups of tea per day has quite a few well being advantages, together with decreasing one’s danger of coronary heart illness, stroke, diabetes and total mortality.
The most recent analysis on the topic, a evaluate of 19 research, shall be offered on the European Affiliation for the Research of Diabetes’s annual assembly subsequent week. The outcomes instructed that consuming no less than 4 every day cups of black, inexperienced or Oolong tea lowered an individual’s danger of growing sort 2 diabetes by 17% over the span of a decade.
The analysis, performed by a crew from China, concerned multiple million adults throughout eight nations. The findings point out that there is much less profit related to consuming fewer cups of tea. Only one to a few cups per day solely lowered the danger of sort 2 diabetes by 4%, the outcomes confirmed. The chance of growing diabetes went down by 1% for every extra every day cup.
“Our outcomes are thrilling as a result of they recommend that folks can do one thing so simple as consuming 4 cups of tea a day to doubtlessly reduce their danger of growing sort 2 diabetes,” Xiaying Li, a researcher at Wuhan College of Science and Expertise, mentioned in an announcement.
A research printed final month discovered that consuming two or extra every day cups of black tea lowered the general danger of loss of life by 9% to 13% amongst folks within the UK over a 14-year interval, relative to those that drank no tea. The research additionally revealed an affiliation between consuming a number of cups of tea and a decrease danger of coronary coronary heart illness and stroke.
“We predict our findings shall be very reassuring to people who find themselves already consuming tea,” mentioned Dr. Maki Inoue-Choi, a workers scientist on the Nationwide Most cancers Institute who led that analysis.
Inoue-Choi mentioned even among the many folks in her research who drank greater than 10 cups per day, “we didn’t see any unfavourable results on mortality danger.”
Antioxidants in tea may cut back irritation
The well being advantages of consuming tea might should do with polyphenols, compounds discovered naturally in vegetation that present antioxidants.
“These compounds might lower irritation and oxidative stress within the physique, and in flip that probably lowers the danger of growing sure well being situations resembling coronary heart illness,” Inoue-Choi mentioned.
The dominant polyphenols in inexperienced tea, catechins, could also be significantly useful in fending off illness by defending cells from injury. When inexperienced tea leaves are fermented to make black tea, the catechins convert to theaflavins, one other type of antioxidants.
Inoue-Choi mentioned which may clarify why each inexperienced and black tea appear to confer well being advantages. It may additionally clarify why folks must drink a lot of tea to see a considerably decrease danger of illness or loss of life.
Certainly, the crew from China present in a separate research of 5,200 adults that when they didn’t account for what number of cups of tea folks consumed, the danger of growing sort 2 diabetes was roughly the identical for tea drinkers and non-tea drinkers.
In her research, Inoue-Choi mentioned, she discovered that including milk or sugar to tea did not cut back the well being advantages, however the individuals tended to make use of these substances sparingly.
“The sweetened tea from the shop has much more sugar,” she mentioned. “We should always nonetheless comply with the dietary pointers to keep away from an excessive amount of sugar and an excessive amount of saturated fats.”
Inoue-Choi’s research didn’t, nonetheless, discover any affiliation between consuming tea and a decreased danger of loss of life from most cancers.
Though some earlier research have instructed that consuming tea might lower the danger of prostate, lung, ovarian or colorectal most cancers, one research additionally discovered that consuming three cups of black tea per day was a big danger issue for breast most cancers. One other research discovered that consuming extremely popular tea (above 149 levels Fahrenheit) was related to an elevated danger of esophageal most cancers.
“Findings for most cancers have been extra blended,” Inoue-Choi mentioned, including that extra analysis is required. “There have been extra constant outcomes for coronary heart illness or stroke.”
For now, she mentioned, scientists aren’t providing any broad suggestions in regards to the very best quantity of tea to drink.
“We wouldn’t advocate folks change their tea consumption solely based mostly on this single research,” Inoue-Choi mentioned.