The One Drink Dietitians Want You to Enjoy Every Day for Longevity (It’s Not Water)

Everyone's familiar with the myth of the fountain of youth. Legend has it that if you drank from the magical spring's waters, you would remain eternally young.

While no mystical spring exists to extend your youth (drat!), there is some truth to the fairytale: Drinking water and staying hydrated is important for a healthy body — inside and out — especially as you age.

But H2O isn't the only beverage with big benefits for aging. There's another hydrating drink that adds amazing antioxidants to the mix, multiplying water's benefits: We're talking about tea, people!

Yep, drinking tea daily is associated with having many healthy years ahead. Just ask the tea-sipping adults in the Blue Zones, regions of the world with the longest lifespans and lowest rates of chronic disease, who make teatime a regular part of their day.

In fact, a December 2020 study in the ‌European Journal of Preventive Cardiology‌ found that habitual tea drinkers who enjoyed three or more cups a week had a lower risk of heart disease and death (more on this later).

Here, we spill the tea on this healthy beverage's benefits for longevity.

True teas tout a ton of health benefits linked with a lengthier lifespan. Here are the highlights:

Teas are abundant in antioxidants, powerful plant compounds — including polyphenols, flavonoids and catechins — that counteract oxidation.

"Oxidation is a process that produces unstable chemicals, known as free radicals, which cause damage to various cell structures," says Amanda Holtzer, RD. Oxidative stress can also contribute to chronic inflammation, which plays a role in the development of diseases like cancer.

"As the name implies, antioxidants serve to battle, counter and prevent that process, thereby fighting against bodily damage and breakdown," Holtzer explains.

She says regular tea drinking ups the level of antioxidants in your blood, giving them a better shot at reducing oxidative damage and inflammation that contributes to chronic disease.

While research focusing on tea and cancer prevention is inconsistent (often limited by study methods and designs), there still may be a real connection between sipping tea and a lower risk for certain types of cancers, Hartog says.

Case in point: A large November 2020 meta-analysis in ‌Advances in Nutrition‌ found that drinking tea was tied to lower rates of 11 types of cancer, with the strongest evidence surrounding oral cancer.

Likewise, people who regularly drink tea black tea or green tea appear to have lower odds of developing ovarian cancer compared to non-tea drinkers, according to the National Library of Medicine (NLM).

Theoretically, the anti-inflammatory antioxidant compounds found in tea may help suppress the growth of cancer cells, Hartog says. But more studies are needed to understand the correlation.

A large, May 2017 study in ‌Heart‌ found that drinking tea daily was associated with a reduced risk of ischemic heart disease (heart issues caused by narrowed arteries).

Similarly, a March 2013 study in the ‌Annals of Epidemiology‌ demonstrated that people who drank four or more cups of black tea had a lower chance of stroke. And a May 2013 study in ‌Stroke‌ noted similar findings for green tea.

Tea's polyphenols may safeguard the inner lining (or endothelium) of the heart and blood vessels, therefore preserving both their structure and function, Holtzer says.

Antioxidants like flavonoids can also assist with improving cholesterol levels, Holtzer says. Specifically, quercetin has been linked with increased HDL or "good" cholesterol and lower triglycerides, she says.

L-theanine, an amino acid found in tea, may be good news for your brain.

Regular tea drinkers have lower rates of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, according to a May 2018 study in ​‌Nutrients‌​, possibly because of that l-theanine, per PennMedicine.

And an October 2017 review in ​‌Phytomedicine‌​ linked the combo of caffeine and l-theanine in green tea to improvements in anxiety, memory and attention.

The caffeine in tea also helps to improve alertness and attention, even in people without sufficient sleep, per the NLM.

While osteoporosis, a condition that causes bones to become weak and brittle, becomes more common with age, drinking tea may help mitigate your risks.

A November 2018 study in ​‌Osteoporosis International‌​ found that drinking tea was associated with higher bone mineral density scores in people assigned female at birth, but not in those assigned male at birth.

What's more, older black tea drinkers also seem to have a lower rate of hip fracture, per the NLM.

Drinking tea may be beneficial for your overall sense of wellbeing and health-related quality of life (HRQOL), which is defined as a person's perception of their mental and physical health over time, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

That's what a May 2017 study in the ‌Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging‌ found. Older adults who were habitual tea drinks had a better HRQOL, as measured by fewer reported problems with mobility, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression. The authors also noted that this association was stronger for black and oolong teas compared to green tea.

Try these tips to make cup of your tea an even more powerful longevity elixir.

"Make tea consumption a consistent part of your life," Holtzer says. This will ensure you're getting a steady stream of antioxidants.

And frequency is important. The authors of the same ‌European Journal of Preventive Cardiology‌ noted that the body doesn't store polyphenols long-term, so drinking tea daily may be necessary to enjoy its effects.

Limit added sugar and pre-sweetened teas, as these add non-nutritive calories to your diet, Hartog says.

Holtzer agrees: "If you're a consistent multiple-cups-a-day tea drinker, I would work on slowly reducing the sugar that you add."

Think of it like this: "If you're adding one teaspoon per cup, and having three cups a day, that's about 12 grams of sugar per day, just from your tea alone," she says.

For extra flavor, add lemon slices or a cinnamon stick instead, Holtzer recommends.

"Avoid adding milk, as studies demonstrate this can reduce tea's antioxidant capacity," Hartog says. That's because "flavonoids are known to 'deactivate' when binding to proteins," she explains.

If you're not a tea drinker, you can still sneak it into other dishes and reap the health benefits. Here's how: Swap out water for tea when making beans or grains like oatmeal, use dried tea as a rub for meat or try brewed tea as a marinade for chicken, Hartog says.

Ever heard the saying ‌too much of a good thing‌? Well, it applies to tea, too.

"Too much tea drinking can lead to caffeine overload and may cause sleep disturbances or gastrointestinal issues," Hartog says.

Stick to 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, tops, she says. For reference, true teas from the Camellia sinensis plant contain approximately 50 milligrams of caffeine per cup.

Certain components in tea may raise concerns for people on some medications. For example, green tea contains vitamin K (which helps your blood clot), so if you're taking blood thinners, talk to your doctor before drinking it, Hartog says.

"Tannins [a type of polyphenol compound] found in tea can reduce iron bioavailability and absorption," Hartog says. Your body needs iron for many essential functions, so to avoid this problem, simply sip separately from a meal, she says. If caffeine upsets your empty stomach, try drinking your tea shortly after a meal instead.

"Start a bedtime routine that includes chamomile tea," Holtzer says. "Its sedative effects will help you to relax, unwind and fall asleep faster."

Remember, herbal teas are caffeine-free, so they won't keep you awake.