Drinking a cup of tea each day is good for your brain as it could help protect against age-related decline

Monday 16th September 2019 16:52 EDT
 

It's the perfect excuse to put the kettle on. For research has suggested drinking tea could be good for your brain and stave off age-related decline.

Scientists now say regularly consuming a brew could be a simple lifestyle choice that benefits brain health. Three dozen adults who were all aged 60 or above were asked to take part a range of cognitive tests for the study.

Researchers led by a team based at the National University of Singapore also took MRI scans of the volunteers.

All of the participants, from Singapore, were also asked about how often they drink green, black or oolong tea, as well as coffee.

Results showed participants who drank tea at least four times a week for around 25 years had more connected brains.

Dr Feng Lei, lead researcher, said: 'Our results offer the first evidence of positive contribution of tea drinking to brain structure.'

He added they also 'suggest that drinking tea regularly has a protective effect against age-related decline in brain organisation'.

The study, which also involved a team from the universities of Cambridge and Essex, was published in the scientific journal Aging.

The research is believed to have been the first of its kind, with no other studies having examined the effect of tea on brain networks.

Britain consumes around 100million cups of tea each day. It is considered to be the world's most popular drink, behind only water.

However, statistics suggest 98 per cent of Brits drink their tea with milk. The study did not take adjust for milky tea.

It is not the first time scientists have found benefits from drinking tea – studies have suggested it can ward off type 2 diabetes and help you live longer.

In 2017, one study suggested tea can smooth out spikes in blood sugar levels. Another suggested tea drinkers were less likely to get cognitive impairment.

The latter, also carried out by Dr Lei and colleagues, speculated that green and black teas contain bioactive compounds that improve memory.


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