Tea drinkers aged over 85 who enjoy at least five cups a day have been found to have more focus and a sustained attention span.
Research from Newcastle University also found that they demonstrated better psychomotor skills – which link brain and movement. They also also showed better accuracy and speed of reaction - which could help in daily activities such as driving, sewing and finishing a jigsaw.
Previous research has shown that tea has health benefits, including lowering blood pressure and cholesterol and may even aid weight loss.
But researcher Dr Edward Okello at Newcastle University’s Human Nutrition Research Centre could not be sure if it was the drink or the routine of making it – that made the difference to older people’s brain function.
He said: “The skills we see maintained in this group of the very old may not only be due to the compounds present in tea, but it may also be the rituals of making a pot of tea or sharing a chat over a cup of tea which are just as important.”
The study looked at tea-drinking habits of those over 85 living in their own homes or in assisted accommodation and found that those who drank more than five cups of tea a day – with or without milk – performed better at certain cognitive tests.
Data was used from the flagship Newcastle 85+ study involving more than 1,000 people aged over 85 from Newcastle and North Tyneside, which started in 2006.
In the study, nurses gather information by visiting participants in their own homes to complete a detailed health assessment.
Researchers found significantly better attention skills and psychomotor speed on complex tasks among black tea drinkers, but there was no link between consumption and overall measures of memory or performance on simple speed tasks.
The researchers suggest the findings mean that black tea should be considered for the very old in any diet which aims to improve attention and psychomotor speed.
Dr Okello said: “We now know that enjoying a cup of tea quenches your thirst and has benefits for over 85s’ attention span.”
