Drinking tea everyday linked with lower risk of mortality, new study suggests

The new research, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, reported that people who consumed two or more cups each day had between a 9% and 13% lower risk of mortality than those who didn't drink tea at all.

Before we start arguing over how we take our brews - and how much or little milk and sugar we take - the results were the same regardless of how they took it.

The findings found no difference in whether the person also drank coffee or if they added milk or sugar to their tea. 

A woman holding a tea cup filled with tea. Credit: Canva

The researchers also analysed whether there were any changes depending on preferred temperatures or whether there were any genetic variants involved that would affect the rate at which a person would metabolise caffeine.

The National Institutes of Health researchers used data from UK Biobank in their study which saw 85% of the half a million men and women, aged 40 to 69, say that they regularly drink tea.

Of those, 89% report that they drank black tea.

The study was conducted with a questionnaire which was answered from 2006 to 2010 and was then followed up on over a decade later.

The research has been described as “a substantial advance in the field” by professor of preventive medicine and public health at the Autonomous University of Madrid, Fernando Rodríguez Artalejo.

The professor noted that most similar studies had been carried out in Asia, where green tea is the most widely consumed, and the studies outside Asia were “small in size and inconclusive in their results”.

He added: “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.”

So, will drinking tea help you live longer?

A woman holding a mug. Credit: Canva

The truth is, we still don't really know.

Professor Rodríguez Artalejo commented that the study does not definitively say that tea is the cause of the lower mortality of tea drinkers.

This is because it cannot exclude that the results are not down to other health factors associated with tea consumption.

Should you start drinking tea for your health if you aren't already?

Again, we don't have a clear answer yet.

The professor added: “Studies should be done with repeated measurements of tea consumption over time and compare the mortality of those who do not consume tea on a sustained basis with that of those who have started to consume tea or have increased their consumption over time, and those who have been drinking tea for years.”

People drinking tea together. Credit: Canva

What is the correct way to make tea?

The order of making tea has divided households, friends and offices for longer than any of us can remember - but is there really a 'right' way of making it?

As part of the Great British Teabreak campaign, Toolstation has attempted to answer this question with a study of its own.

Surveying 478 tradespeople and 1,005 members of the British public, it has revealed the 'correct' order of the tea-making process.

• Teabag goes in- 92% voted this as the first step. Some controversial opinions saw the milk being added in first (1.3%), as well as squeezing the teabag against the mug before any water was added (1%).
• Boiling water in -  74% had this as their second step in the process, however, 8% of the vote added milk in at this step and 10% added sugar or sweetener at this stage.
• Allow the teabag to brew- 59% allowed their tea to sit and brew at this point, but there were many different opinions. 16% of the nation add their boiling water as the third step, 8% of the votes went to squeezing the teabag against the mug and 1.8% add the teabag in at this point.
• Squeeze the teabag against the mug- 48% of the UK think this is the time to squeeze the bag, getting as much out of their teabag as possible. At this point, opinions were divided, with 13% removing the teabag, 13% adding milk and 3% only just adding boiling water.
• Remove the teabag- 46% are wrapping things up now, taking out their teabag. However, 4% are adding sugar at this stage, 20% are squeezing their teabag and 2% are still brewing their tea.
• Add milk- Now the bag is out, 38% of Brits add milk to their brew, however 25% of the UK are done at this stage, finishing a step or two earlier.

According to the research, the most common brewing time amongst Brits is 1-2 minutes, with 24% opting for this.

Brits can't get enough of a chocolate digestive either with it being the favourite pairing for 13 out of the 17 cities surveyed.

See the full research by visiting the Toolstation website.