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People should be drinking around 20 cups of tea per week to help cut their risk of dying, experts have said, with a number of benefits linked to the hot beverage.
A new study found that compounds, or flavan-3-ols, in tea could lower the risk of some chronic diseases by up to a fifth.
They are linked to reducing blood pressure, heart problems, strokes and type 2 diabetes.
By drinking a cuppa you could lower the risk of developing chronic disease by 19 per cent and reduce the risk of dying from heart disease by 13 per cent.
The study was published in Nutrition and Food Technology and written by the Tea Advisory Panel (TAP).
Dr Tim Bond, one of the authors of the study, said: “The evidence for the health benefits of consuming tea flavonoids is great news.
“For the sake of our health, perhaps it’s time to add a target for flavonoids to the usual dietary guidelines for vitamins, minerals, protein, fibre and fat.”
Dietitian Dr Carrie Ruxton said the new research reveals health benefits for those who get a daily dose of flavonoids.
She said they include “anti-diabetic effects, anti-inflammatory effects, reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, preventing muscle loss and treating viral respiratory tract infections”.
Flavonoids, found in plants, are needed for their growth and development. They are responsible for the colour and contribute to the flavour of fruits, vegetables and other plants.
The new study suggests that, within the flavonoids group, it’s a sub-type called flavan-3-ols that we consume the most in our diets.
The study’s co-author and nutritionist Dr Pamela Mason revealed: “Average intakes of flavonoids in Europe are between 313mg a day and 428mg a day, according to the data,”
Dr Bond added: “Studies from the United States suggest that tea could be an important component of a healthy, balanced diet. “Their figures show a stark difference in flavonoid intakes between tea drinkers, who are getting 698mg a day, compared with non-tea drinkers who only get 33mg a day.”
The study’s discovery comes after an expert group from the US Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics said that eating more flavan-3-ols could be good for blood pressure, sugar levels, and cholesterol.
Experts advise us to include food items like tea and fruits in our meals. Apples, pears, and berries also have lots of flavan-3-ols. However, this new study has found that tea has the most flavan-3-ols per 100g.
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The directive is good news for the Irish, who already down an average of four to six cups a day, making us the second-biggest consumers of it in the world.
A 2019 survey compiled with data from the World Bank showed only the Turks drink more than us on the world stage.
A study by Lyons found the average consumer here imbibes approximately 300 litres of tea per year, or up to five cups per day.
Because it has half the caffeine content of coffee, six cups of tea can be enjoyed per day while still maintaining a moderate caffeine intake.
Tea arrived in Ireland in the 1800s and — though initially the preserve of the wealthy — eventually became a staple amongst ordinary people.
However, enjoying a cuppa has not always been viewed with approval.
Pamphlets produced in the 19th century compared peasant women who drank tea as contributing to the stifling of Ireland’s economic growth and were urged to change their ways.
Academic Dr Helen O’Connell of Durham University said: “Peasant women were condemned for putting their feet up with a cup of tea when they should be getting a hearty evening meal ready for their hard-working husbands.”
She added: “The reformers made it clear they saw tea-drinking as reckless and uncontrollable.”
Source: Https://www.irishstar.com/news/us-news/cup-tea-health-benefit-diabetes-32148412
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