Drinking a cup of hot caffeinated tea every day can lower your risk of glaucoma, a new study has found.
According to researchers, the risk of developing the serious eye condition decreases by 74 per cent. However, drinking other caffeinated beverages like coffee, iced tea, soft drinks, as well as decaffeinated tea, were found to have no impact at all.
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To find this out, researchers looked at data from the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the U.S., which is a nationally representative annual survey of about 10,000 people. This survey included interviews, physical examinations and blood samples. That year also included eye tests for glaucoma, an eye disease.
Of the 1,678 participants who had full eye test results, 84 per cent had developed glaucoma.
Researchers asked the participants how often and how much they had consumed of caffeinated and decaffeinated drinks, including soft drinks and iced tea, over the past 12 months.
That’s when researchers found that drinking hot tea every day had a lower risk of developing the eye condition than those who didn’t.
Because this is an observational study, researchers say no firm conclusions can be drawn about why this may be.
The survey also did not ask about factors like cup size, tea type or length of brewing time, all of which the study says might be influential.
However, drinking tea has been linked with a list of other health benefits over the years.
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According to registered dietitian Andy De Santis, green, black and oolong teas contain important antioxidants known as flavonoids, which are being explored for their potential health benefits. Those benefits may include a reduced risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
“More research will be necessary before definitive statement can be made on just how valuable these teas are to our heath,” he says. “However their benefit most likely rests in contributing to an already strong diet including a variety of fruits, veggies and whole grains.”
There are studies, though, that link black and green tea consumption to a reduction in LDL (bad cholesterol), De Santis says, as well as blood pressure.
But these health benefits found in antioxidant-rich teas like green, black and oolong do not extend to herbal teas, De Santis points out, as there is a lack of strong evidence to support their health benefits.
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