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Tea-riffic news for the humble brew
Four mugs a day keep hydration levels up
- Daily Mail
- Published: 00:00 March 30, 2011
- Image Credit: Supplied
- An average of four and a half working days making cups of tea. According to the report, 150 million cups of tea are made by office workers in the UAE every year
London: Drinking four to six mugs of tea a day is as good for keeping yourself hydrated as a litre of water, a study has found.
The finding disproves the idea that regular tea drinking can dehydrate the body because of its caffeine content.
The research also found no negative health effects from drinking that amount of tea.
In the high quality UK clinical trial 21 volunteers drank either four 240ml mugs of tea over a 12-hour period — equivalent to just under one litre of tea in total, or a similar amount of plain, boiled water served warm.
The tea included 20ml of semi-skimmed milk but no sugar.
The test was also repeated using six cups of tea or plain water, equivalent to nearly 1.5 litres of fluid, to investigate the effect of intakes.
Tea and water and a controlled diet were given on separate test days, along with a ban on vigorous exercise, caffeinated products and alcohol.
Blood samples were taken before consumption and at regular intervals to check hydration levels.
Analysis found no significant differences between drinking tea and water.
The study, commissioned by the industry-backed Tea Advisory Panel, is published in the British Journal of Nutrition.
Dr Carrie Ruxton, nutritional advisor to the panel, said: "Tea is an excellent way to maintain healthy fluid levels.
In addition, tea is a rich source of flavonoids, which have been associated with a reduced risk of heart disease and stroke."
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