Drink tea at least three times a week
Habitual tea drinkers had about 15% lower mortality. From age 50, they had an estimated 1.26 additional years of life and 1.41 additional years free of cardiovascular disease.
What it takes
Tens to hundreds of renminbi yearly in China. Brewing takes a few minutes.
What you may gain
China's China-PAR cohort included about 100,900 people, with median follow-up of 7.3 years. Habitual tea drinkers had 15% lower mortality (risk ratio 0.85, 95% CI 0.79–0.90). From age 50, estimated life expectancy was 1.26 years longer and time free of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease 1.41 years longer.
Context & considerations
The evidence is observational. Chinese male tea drinkers often smoke and drink alcohol; adjustment cannot remove all confounding. Avoid scalding drinks; see temperature. Concerning mold toxins, a Chinese study found aflatoxins in 2 of 158 dark-tea samples, with estimated intake below internationally acceptable levels. Another tested 352 teas for 16 mycotoxins; only mean ochratoxin A in dark tea exceeded the limit. At Chinese consumption levels, neither calculated a dietary risk. Store tea dry and discard damp, moldy leaves. Green-tea-extract capsules are different: concentrated catechins taken in large boluses can injure the liver, a problem not seen with brewed tea. This entry concerns brewed tea, not extract supplements.
Research & references
Wang X, Liu F, Li J, et al. (2020). Tea consumption and the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality: The China-PAR project. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 27(18), 1956-1963. https://doi.org/10.1177/2047487319894685 ; on tea mycotoxins: Cui P et al. (2020). Quantitative analysis and dietary risk assessment of aflatoxins in Chinese post-fermented dark tea. Food and Chemical Toxicology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2020.111830 ; Zhou H et al. (2022). Mycotoxins in Tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze): Contamination and Dietary Exposure Profiling in the Chinese Population. Toxins. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins14070452 ; on extract-related liver injury: Hu J et al. (2018). The safety of green tea and green tea extract consumption in adults - Results of a systematic review. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yrtph.2018.03.019