How Drinking Tea Could Prevent Age-Related Brain Decline, According to Science

Whether you enjoy your brew in the morning or you prefer your cup at night before bed, being a regular tea drinker has been linked to benefits like a healthier heart, lower risk of cancer, weight loss, and even a longer life. And now, new research suggests that drinking tea as little as four times per week could even boost your brain health and potentially slow down the aging process.

The new study published in the journal Aging has linked drinking tea to a healthier brain later in life. Researchers from the National University of Singapore gathered data from 36 adults age 60 and older on their diet and lifestyle habits, then assessed them based on neurophysiological testing and MRI brain scans. Results of the analysis showed that the participants who reported that they drank oolong, green, or black tea at least four times per week over the last 25 years had more organized brain regions at the time that the tests were conducted. So what does this have to do with brain aging?

According to Feng Lei, lead author of the study, “consider brain regions as destinations, while the connections between brain regions are roads. When a road system is better organized, the movement of vehicles and passengers is more efficient and uses less resources. Similarly, when the connections between brain regions are more structured, information processing can be performed more efficiently.” In short, better organized brain regions means healthier cognitive function.

And while more research is needed to fully understand how communication between brain regions affects things like memory, this research points us in the right direction. “Our results offer the first evidence of positive contribution of tea drinking to brain structure, and suggest that drinking tea regularly has a protective effect against age-related decline in brain organization,” Lei remarked. So, if you needed more reason to reach for another cup of your favorite brew, now you have one! For a health boosting green tea we love, try this one from Numi Organic Tea ($14.85 for 3 Boxes).

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