Scientists have discovered how unsweetened tea is healthier than tea with sugar

Consumption of unsweetened tea correlates with a notable reduction in the risk of death from all causes, as well as from cancer and cardiovascular diseases. However, tea with sugar or sweeteners does not have such an effect. This was shown by a study published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition.

The study involved 195,361 volunteers aged 37 to 73 years. People with incomplete health data, pregnant women, and those whose energy consumption significantly deviated from the norm were excluded from the analysis. The sample included only those who filled out a 24-hour online food diary at least once.

The authors of the work compared the influence of three types of tea - unsweetened, with sugar, and with artificial sweeteners - on overall and specific mortality. The main focus was on black tea, which was most commonly consumed by study participants.

It turned out that those who drank tea in the amount of 3.5-4.5 cups per day had a reduced risk of death from all causes by 20%, from cardiovascular diseases by 27%, and from cancer by 14%. This effect did not depend on genetic characteristics of caffeine metabolism. At the same time, beverages with sugar or sweeteners did not demonstrate a protective effect.

It is noted that consumers of sweetened tea were more often men, ate fruit less frequently, and generally led a less healthy lifestyle: they smoked, suffered from excess weight, hypertension, and chronic diseases.