Put the kettle on! How black tea (and other favorites) may help your health later in life

A daily cup of tea could help you to enjoy better health late in life – however, if you’re not a tea drinker, there are other things you can add to your diet. The key is flavonoids, which are naturally occurring substances found in many common foods and beverages such as black and green tea, apples, nuts, citrus fruit, berries, and more.

If you don’t drink tea, there are other foods you may include in your diet to improve your health later in life. However, a regular cup of tea may help you to experience greater health.

The important ingredient is flavonoids, which can be found in numerous popular foods and beverages, including black and green tea, apples, almonds, citrus fruit, berries, and more. Although their numerous health advantages have long been acknowledged, recent Edith Cowan University (ECU) research suggests they might perhaps be even healthier for humans than previously believed.

An 881 elderly women (median age of 80) study funded by the Heart Foundation discovered that those who drank a lot of flavonoids in their diet were significantly less likely to develop severe abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) The abdominal aorta’s calcification (AAC), the biggest artery in the body that carries oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the abdomen and lower extremities, is a risk factor for cardiovascular events such heart attacks and strokes.

It has also been discovered to be an accurate predictor of dementia in old age. There are various dietary sources of flavonoids, but some have unusually high quantities, according to researcher and study leader Ben Parmenter of the ECU Nutrition and Health Innovation Research Institute.

According to him, the majority of people’s dietary intake of flavonoids comes from a small number of specially high-flavonoid foods and drinks. Typically, black or green tea, blueberries, strawberries, oranges, red wine, apples, raisins/grapes, and dark chocolate are the main contributors.

The flavonoid family

The study found that many various forms of flavonoids, including flavan-3-ols and flavonols, appear to also have a connection to AAC.

Higher intakes of total flavonoids, flavan-3-ols, and flavonols were associated with a 36–49% lower risk of having extensive AAC in study participants. The primary source of total flavonoids in the study population was black tea, which was similarly linked to noticeably lower probabilities of widespread AAC.

Participants who drank two to six cups of tea per day had a 16–42% lower risk of having substantial AAC than those who did not. Other dietary sources of flavonoids, such as fruit juice, red wine, and chocolate, did not, however, demonstrate a meaningful positive relationship with AAC.

Not just tea

Although the study’s primary source of flavonoids was black tea, possibly because of the participants’ advanced age, Mr. Parmenter said people could still benefit from flavonoids without brewing a cup of tea.

He said that among women who don’t drink black tea, consuming more total flavonoids from other sources “appears to protect against significant hardening of the arteries.” This suggests that when tea is not eaten, flavonoids from sources other than black tea may offer protection against AAC.

This, according to Mr. Parmenter, is crucial since it enables those who don’t drink tea to still reap the benefits of flavonoids in their diet. “Black tea might not be the predominant source of flavonoids in other populations or groups of people, such as young males or people from different countries,” he noted.

This study demonstrates that the intake of flavonoids, which may protect against AAC, is easily attainable in the diets of most people. AAC is a significant predictor of vascular disease events. In the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, the following finding was reported: “Higher habitual dietary flavonoid intake associated with less widespread abdominal aortic calcification in a cohort of older women.”

Black tea has several antioxidants that may boost gut and heart health, and lower “bad” LDL cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels, among other advantages. Black tea is one of the most popular drinks in the world, second only to water. It is derived from the Camellia sinensis plant and frequently combined with other plants to create flavors like Earl Grey or chai.

Although it has less caffeine than coffee, it has a stronger flavor and more caffeine than other teas. Because it includes antioxidants and other substances that may help reduce inflammation in the body, black tea also has several health advantages. A wide range of health advantages is associated with antioxidants.

Consuming them can lessen cell damage and assist the body get rid of free radicals. In the end, this might aid in lowering the risk of chronic illness (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source). Black tea, among other foods and drinks, includes a form of antioxidant called polyphenol. The main sources of antioxidants in black tea include catechins, theaflavins, and thearubigins, which may improve general health (3Trusted Source).

A mouse study looked at the relationship between theaflavins and thearubigins, two compounds found in black tea, and the risk of developing diabetes, obesity, and high cholesterol. Theaflavins and thearubigins were found to lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels, according to the results (4Trusted Source). An earlier investigation looked at the impact of catechins.

Flavonoids, a different class of antioxidants found in black tea, are good for heart health. Flavonoids are also present in dark chocolate, red wine, and fruits and vegetables, in addition to tea. Regularly consuming them may help lower numerous heart disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, raised triglyceride levels, and obesity (7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source).

According to a comprehensive assessment of studies, drinking tea every day reduced mortality from cardiovascular disease by 4%, heart attacks and other cardiovascular events by 2%, stroke by 4%, and all-cause mortality by 1.5%. (9Trusted Source). People who drank tea every day had an 8% lower risk of death, according to another sizable prospective study. Two lipoproteins that carry cholesterol around the body are present in the body.

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) are the two (HDL). LDL is regarded as the “bad” lipoprotein since it carries cholesterol to all of the body’s cells. Be a result of moving cholesterol out of your cells and to the liver where it may be eliminated from your bloodstream, HDL is referred to as the “good” lipoprotein.

Plaques, which are waxy deposits in the arteries, can form when the body has an excessive amount of LDL. Heart failure or stroke may result from this. Thankfully, some research suggests that drinking tea may help lower LDL cholesterol. Drinking black tea significantly lowered LDL cholesterol by 4.64mg/dL, according to an analysis of well-designed trials (11Trusted