Drinking just one cup of hot tea each day could be enough to save your sight, says the British Journal of Ophthalmology.
A study published last week revealed that drinking tea may be linked to significantly lower instances of glaucoma – a serious eye condition that affects one in 200 Australians over 40 and one of the leading causes of blindness, affecting 57.5 million people worldwide.
And it seems it’s only hot tea that enjoys this distinction, with decaffeinated and caffeinated coffee, decaffeinated tea, iced tea and soft drinks not having a similar effect.
Glaucoma occurs when fluid pressure builds up inside the eye, causing damage to the optic nerve.
Researchers scoured data from a health survey of around 10,000 people, from which 1678 participants who had developed the condition were asked how often and how much they had imbibed caffeinated and decaffeinated drinks, including soft drinks and iced tea over a period of one year.
All factors considered, the data showed that those who drank hot tea compared to those who didn’t had a 74 per cent lower risk of developing glaucoma.
While this is a small observational study, no firm conclusions could be drawn. However, tea does contain all the antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective chemicals typically associated with a lowered risk of serious conditions, such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
With previous studies suggesting that tea reduces oxidation and neurodegeneration, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that it’s good for your eyesight. However, researchers claim that “further research is needed to establish the importance of these findings and whether hot tea consumption may play a role in the prevention of glaucoma”.
Read more at www.sciencedaily.com
Do you drink hot tea? Would this news convince you to have a cup a day?
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