Drinking just one cup of tea could reduce the risk of dementia and cancer, according to experts.
As a nation, we love a cup of tea and there are not many situations that can't be improved with a good brew, as the Daily Express reports.
But now it turns out there's a medical reason to pop the kettle on, as boffins believe that tea could help fight off serious illnesses.
Health benefits begin at just one cup daily but increase with the more you have - which should be good news as we get through around 100 million cups of the good stuff every day.
What do you think of the health benefits of tea? Let us know in the comments...
According to research, 40–50 per cent of dementia cases could be prevented through lifestyle changes — and drinking more tea can be a simple first step.
Nutrition scientist Professor Jonathan Hodgson of the Edith Cowan University in Australia explained that “there is growing evidence that as little as 1–to-2 cups of tea daily could significantly reduce risk of vascular dementia and potentially Alzheimer’s disease.”
Specifically, data from long-term prospective cohort studies have found that a reduced risk of dementia is associated with the consumption of 1–6 cups of tea daily — peaking at 2–4 cups — with a moderate intake of flavonoids in tea also found to be key.
Various studies have also suggested that tea consumption is positively correlated with a reduced risk of some cancers — including biliary tract, breast, endometrial, liver, and oral cancer.
For more of the news you care about, straight to your inbox, sign up for one of our daily newsletters here.
Flavonoids — which have anticarcinogenic properties — may act via a mixture of antioxidant, anti-angiogenesis, and anti-inflammatory mechanisms, as well as serve to modify the profile of the gut microbiota.
Nutrition expert Dr Raul Zamora-Ros of the Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research in Barcelona said: “More research needs to be done to determine the exact dosage.
However, he added, “the conclusion we can share is that higher intakes of tea consumption may reduce the risk of some forms of cancer."
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at yourmirror@mirror.co.uk
