• Apart from water, tea is the most widely consumed drink worldwide.
• Tea contains caffeine, which can be harmful in large quantities, so people are advised to limit their intake of tea and other caffeine-containing drinks, such as coffee.
• However, tea is also high in antioxidants, associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.
• A large-scale study has found that those who drink two or more cups of black tea daily have a reduced mortality risk, even when taken with milk or sugar.

According to the United Nations, tea is the world’s most consumed drink, after water. Of the many types, black tea is most common in the United Kingdom and the United States. Green tea, jasmine tea, and fruit and herbal teas are more popular in other countries.

Both black and green teas come from the Camellia sinensis plant. The difference between them is how they are processed after picking. Both are picked, wilted, bruised, and rolled before drying. Black tea is then oxidized by exposing it to the air for some time.

Researchers have long studied the health benefits  of different teas. Some suggest that green tea has greater health benefits, while others advocate the health-giving qualities of black tea. Either way, antioxidants seem to be key.

Now, a prospective cohort study of tea-drinking habits in almost half a million people from the U.K. Biobank has supported the benefits of black tea.

This new study has found that drinking two or more cups of black tea daily, with or without milk, may reduce mortality from all leading causes of death by up to 12%.

The study appears in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.