Society’s quest to slow down ageing has rapidly grown in recent years, with an array of supplements and varying methods vying for attention in the anti-ageing arena. While many champion supplements, a chorus of experts point to a balanced diet as the key to mitigating ageing.

One surprising revelation is that regular consumption of black tea —not green tea, despite its lauded health accolades— could be critical to ageing. According to Professor Aedin Cassidy of Queen’s University Belfast, it’s the substantial flavonoid content in black tea that could be the reason behind its potent effects. Speaking to the Times, Professor Cassidy extolled the virtues of flavonoids found in black tea.

They said: “Flavonoids are well known for reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, supporting blood vessel health, and even helping to maintain skeletal muscle mass – all of which are important for preventing frailty and maintaining physical function and mental health as we age.”

Collaborative research by Professor Cassidy, alongside colleagues from Cowan University and Harvard University, indicates drinking between two and six cups of black tea daily hits the sweet spot for potential health benefits, reports SurreyLive.

Black tea could also play a role in purifying water by extracting heavy metals, according to a recent study, reported the Guardian. Researchers at Northwestern University in the US discovered that black tea can bond with and remove ions from water.

Benjamin Shindel, the lead researcher, remarked: “It’s possible that on the margins, tea consumption is reducing [people’s] metal intake by a very small amount, and perhaps over the population of the UK, that’s reducing diseases associated with metal consumption by another commensurately very small amount.”

While the virtues of black tea are being celebrated, it doesn’t mean Britons should stop drinking green tea; rather, they can enjoy both types for their unique benefits.

A study published in the Food and Function journal has revealed that green tea might shield our bodies from the adverse effects of consuming high-fat foods due to its high flavanol content.

Dr Catarina Rendeiro, who led the study, spoke to Sky about the research’s aim to investigate how these beverages could influence the cycle of stress eating.

They said: “We know that when people are stressed, they tend to gravitate towards high-fat foods. We have previously shown that fatty food can impair the body’s vascular recovery from stress.

“In this study, we wanted to see if adding a high-flavanol food to the fatty meal would alleviate the negative impact of stress in the body.”