Heaven of Tea

Tea drinkers are familiar with many of the health benefits associated with each sip, although, it seems that the list of positive effects continues to grow with each steep. At this year’s Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, one new study reported that regular tea drinking could reduce the risk of brain decline.

The study tracked and studied 4,800 women and men (65+) for up to 14 years, evaluating the relationship between drinking tea and dementia. According to the study,

“Tea drinkers had less mental decline than non-tea drinkers. Those who drank tea one to four times a week had average annual rates of decline 37% lower than people who didn’t drink tea. Coffee didn’t show any influence except at the highest levels of consumption, researchers say. Author Lenore Arab of UCLA says, “Interestingly, the observed associations are unlikely to be related to caffeine, which is present in coffee at levels two to three times higher than in tea.”

It is safe to say that the health properties within this wondrous leaf continue to help our bodies ward off illness and encourage a healthy lifestyle. The chief medical and scientific office of the Alzheimer’s Association, William Thies, noted that “These types of studies make people think, ‘Well gosh, maybe I can do something about this disease.’ ”

If you would like to read the full article,  click here. For more information and scientific studies about tea’s health benefits, please take a closer look at our health resources section.

{photo courtesy of Eduardo Mueses}