The Secret of Drinking. How to Drink Coffee, Tea, and Water to Protect Against Cancer and Extend Life 0 71

Their article "The Relative Association of Coffee, Tea, and Plain Water with All-Cause and Specific-Cause Mortality..." was published in the latest issue of the journal.

How the Chinese Studied the English

Chinese researchers analyzed medical information about His Majesty's subjects, concentrated in the UK Biobank.

They analyzed data from 182,770 adult residents of the country to determine the relative association between the three most popular beverages in the world — tea, coffee, and water — and subsequent mortality risk. Data collection was conducted through multiple detailed surveys on nutrition and health from 2009 to 2012. The causes of deaths occurring over the 13 years of observation were also assessed.

There Are Many Reasons for Optimism

There are many conclusions from the study. First, insufficient drinking, defined as consuming no more than 4 cups per day of coffee, tea, and water combined, was associated with increased mortality. Neither coffee nor tea showed beneficial and protective effects at such low consumption levels.

Second, the rule of "8 cups" was essentially confirmed — consuming 7–8 servings of these beverages per day was associated with minimal mortality risk (1 serving equals 1 cup). Specifically, mortality was reduced by 28 percent compared to those who drank no more than 4 servings of liquid.

Third, the consumption of coffee or tea separately was not as strongly associated with reduced mortality as their combined consumption.

Fourth, the "8 cups" rule was adjusted: minimal risk of death from all causes and from several specific diseases was associated with coffee and tea consumption in a ratio of 2:3. This means it is optimal to drink 2 cups of coffee, 3 cups of tea, and an additional 2-3 cups of plain water per day. The researchers described the consumption of coffee and tea in this ratio as balanced.

Some Numbers Are Striking

There are specific and interesting numbers related to different causes of mortality.

For example:

• Overall mortality from all causes decreased by 45%;
• Mortality from cancer decreased by 41%;
• From cardiovascular diseases — by 31%;
• From respiratory diseases — by a whole 72%;
• From digestive system diseases — by 65%.

Agree, these percentages look very significant.

"Our results highlight the importance of a rational combination of coffee, tea, and plain water, with a particular emphasis on ensuring adequate overall fluid intake, providing people with more complete and clear recommendations," the authors of the article conclude.