As if we needed another excuse to put the kettle on, a new study has shown that enjoying a daily cuppa is linked to a lower risk of developing glaucoma.
Glaucoma is a common eye condition where the optic nerve becomes damaged, and can lead to blindness if not treated, according to the NHS.
The small study, published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology found that tea drinkers had a significantly lower risk of developing the condition.
And it seems as if good old fashioned English Breakfast Tea is best because the team found that drinking iced tea, decaffeinated tea, coffee and decaffeinated coffee seemed to have no impact on glaucoma risk.
The findings come from a study involving 10,000 US adults, which included a test for glaucoma.
The participants were also asked how often they consumed a variety of drinks, including hot tea.
And, compared to those who didn’t have a daily cup of tea, hot tea drinkers had a much lower glaucoma risk.
So much so that, after other factors were taken into consideration, the researchers concluded that tea lovers were a whopping 74 per cent less likely to have glaucoma.
While this was just an observational study, so no firm conclusions can be made about cause and effect, black tea is known to be full of antioxidants as well as anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective chemicals, linked to a lower risk of developing a wide range of health issues.
The team say further research is now needed but, in the meantime, think we’ll go makes ourselves a brew…
