Tea is one of the common and most popular caffeinated drinks around the world. The drink has a lot of diversity and the level of caffeine in each differs. Its preparations and recipes differ much according to areas and it has got a universal appeal at the same time due to its unique taste. There are few scattered evidence are available which indicate the benefits of drinking tea including some studies talking about tea’s benefits for the brain.
A new study has shown the impact of regular consumption of tea on the structure of our brains, particularly. The study says that regular tea drinkers may have benefits over non-drinkers, wherein they may have a better brain structure. The study showed that taking tea may result in greater functional and structural connectivity in the brain.
The study published in the journal Aging with the title, “Habitual tea drinking modulates brain efficiency: evidence from brain connectivity evaluation” For the study, a group of participants was requested to fill out questionnaires about tea-drinking habits, which showed out how often they consumed different types of teas. The fillers were of the age of 60 or above and each provided details of their psychological health, daily lifestyle and overall health. The participants were then divided into two groups- tea drinkers and non-tea-drinkers and were made to undergo MRI scans. They were also drawn through a battery of tests.
The scientists observed a clear difference of relationship and connectivity between the tea drinkers and non-tea drinkers. The research was based on the Default Mode Network (DMN), which is a large system which is relating and connecting various parts of the brain. The study report said, “The investigations in this study partly support the hypothesis that tea drinking has positive effects on brain organization and gives rise to greater efficiency in functional and structural connectivities due to increased global network efficiency found in the brain structure of tea drinkers, but no important enhancement in functional connectivity.
As hypothesised, tea-drinking leads to less leftward asymmetry in structural connectivity between hemispheres.” However, the research was on a very small-scale one, since the number of participants totalled just 36 people and the number of females was just six. Therefore, the conclusions of this study may be taken with a pinch of salt.