A wealth of scientific evidence highlights the health benefits of a regular brew, yet a new study reveals that Brits are largely in the dark about how their daily cuppa can boost their wellbeing. The research, conducted to coincide with International Tea Day on Wednesday and reviewed by the Tea Advisory Panel, surveyed more than 1,000 Brits and cast “a harsh light” on our ignorance of tea’s health-boosting properties.

More than four out of five Brits failed to connect their daily tea-drinking habit with potential health benefits, including improved brain and bone health, as well as mental wellbeing.

The perks of a daily brew

Mental health

There’s a growing body of evidence suggesting that tea can bolster our mental health. However, a staggering 67% of people didn’t link their tea-drinking habit with reduced stress or anxiety levels.

“People simply aren’t aware of the science despite the potentially grave consequences for our physical and mental health,” warns Dietician Dr Carrie Ruxton from the Tea Advisory Panel. She adds: “For example, a recent review of the latest scientific evidence suggests that certain active ingredients in tea could help reduce the effects of depression, anxiety, and sleep problems. These substances include L-theanine, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), arginine, catechins, theaflavins, caffeine, theacrine, and a number of volatile compounds.”

Brain health

“When it comes to keeping our brain healthy, a study of more than 4,000 people found that regular tea drinking was significantly associated with a lower chance of having cognitive impairment in middle age and older age,” says Dr Tim Bond, a tea expert and researcher from the Tea Advisory Panel.

Cognitive impairment is a broad term encompassing issues with memory, understanding, reasoning, and problem-solving. Regular tea consumption, particularly green tea, was found to be particularly beneficial in this study.

However, a staggering 91% of respondents in the TAP study review failed to link tea drinking with improved cognitive health.

Bone health

Research also indicates that tea is beneficial for our skeletal system. For instance, as Dr Tim Bond said: “A super study of 18 individual studies involving more than 48,000 postmenopausal women found that drinking tea resulted in higher bone mineral density around the hips. Drinking tea also lowered their risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures.”

Despite this scientific evidence supporting tea’s bone-strengthening capabilities, a whopping 94% of respondents in the latest TAP data review did not associate tea drinking with bone health support.

Dr Carrie Ruxton concluded: “The latest TAP data review demonstrates how much of a worrying knowledge gap exists between Brits’ understanding of the health benefits of a brew and the latest scientific research. International Tea Day is a chance for us to raise awareness of the boost we can all give to the health of our hearts, brains, and bones – as well as to reducing our risk of poor sleep and mental health problems – simply by sticking the kettle on for a regular cuppa throughout the day.”