- A Vietnam study of 42,146 adults found the heaviest green tea drinkers had a 26% lower risk of death.
- Researchers followed participants from 2007 to 2019 and recorded 2,494 deaths.
- Risk fell as intake rose, although the observational study cannot prove cause.
- A separate review warned that sugary bottled and bubble teas may undercut tea's benefits.
- The review also noted that tea can hinder absorption of iron and calcium.
For more than a decade, researchers tracked deaths among 42,146 residents of northern Vietnam who had reported their tea-drinking habits at the start. What they found adds to the evidence that a simple, centuries-old beverage may be linked to a longer life.
Scientists from Hanoi Medical University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Houston Methodist monitored the group between 2007 and 2019, recording 2,494 deaths from all causes. Those who drank the most green tea faced a 26% lower risk of death than the lightest drinkers. The protection against early death rose steadily as intake increased. Importantly, the association persisted among younger and older participants, heavier and lighter ones, and smokers and nonsmokers.
Risk fell as green tea intake rose
Nutrition researchers view this kind of gradual, intake-linked pattern, known as a dose-response relationship, as more convincing than a simple on-off effect. In this study, higher intake categories were consistently tied to lower mortality risk. That consistency lends the finding credibility, although an observational study cannot prove that tea itself caused the lower risk.
Other research points the same way. A separate Chinese study of about 100,000 people, reported by Science Focus, linked green tea to roughly 25% lower risks of death from any cause, heart disease, and stroke compared with people who rarely or never drank tea. Black tea showed no significant link.
Most participants brewed their green tea the traditional way, a daily ritual common across Vietnamese culture. That detail matters because the review discussed below found that processed tea products may not offer the same benefits.
Catechins and EGCG may help explain green tea's benefits
Green tea's health reputation is often credited to plant compounds called catechins. One of them, EGCG, has drawn particular attention from researchers. Research suggests these compounds may ease inflammation, limit oxidative damage to cells, and help keep blood vessels flexible.
Green tea leaves are typically steamed or pan-fired soon after harvest, which helps them retain more catechins than many other teas. A separate review of tea research associates tea, especially green tea, with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and several cancers, as well as brain protection. Its authors believe catechins play a key role.
Bottled teas may offset health benefits, review warns
Not every green tea drink delivers the same advantages. A review published in Beverage Plant Research by researchers at the Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences found that bottled and bubble teas often contain extra sugar, synthetic sweeteners, and preservatives that may undercut the benefits of freshly brewed tea.
The authors also noted that microplastics, heavy metals, and pesticide residues have been detected in tea. They do not regard these contaminants as a significant risk for most drinkers at ordinary consumption, but heavy, long-term tea drinkers may face more exposure. Overall, the review concluded that tea offers clear health benefits, particularly in its traditional, freshly brewed form, and advised moderation with bottled and bubble varieties.
A cup of tea needs no prescription and has no pharmaceutical marketing machine behind it. Even so, the review cautions that tea can make it harder for the body to absorb non-heme iron and calcium, which could matter for vegetarians and others with particular dietary needs. Natural does not mean risk-free, and people deserve the full picture before deciding what goes into their cups.
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