According to some new natural health information from a study completed
this past summer, if you’re 65 or older you should be drinking tea
regularly to protect your brain function.

While coffee is also
packed with some helpful antioxidants, “people age 65 or older who drank tea
regularly had 17-37% less cognitive decline compared with people who did not drink tea.” (Source: prnewswire.com

The
findings from this study, which followed more than 4,800 Americans ages
65 and up for up to 14 years, were presented at the 2010 Alzheimer’s
Association's International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease.
Researchers examined the cognitive abilities of the participants to
determine if there was a relationship to the participant’s intake of
coffee and tea.

<strong>“Results showed that cognitive decline
was statistically significantly lower (17 to 37 percent) among regular
tea drinkers, even after adjusting for confounding factors that may
affect cognitive function, such as age, education, smoking status, and
medical history.”</strong>
 
It may be important to note that the
sponsor of this study was the Lipton Institute of Tea operated by
Unilever, owner of the Lipton brand of teas. The Institute was organized
to study the potential mental and physical health benefits of tea on
behalf of the consumer goods corporation. But it also funds third-party
and academic research studies, such as this one, which was conducted at
UCLA in collaboration with the University of Washington.

Lead researcher Dr. Lenore Arab, PhD, of UCLA concluded: <div style="margin-left: 40px;">
“This
study suggests a potential neuroprotective effect of tea consumption
against cognitive decline.  This neuroprotective effect of tea is
unlikely related to caffeine since coffee, which has two to three times
more caffeine than tea, did not have the same effect.  The effect may be
related to some other component in tea, such as flavonoids or perhaps
theanine, however more research is required before a link can be
confirmed."</div>
New research like this adds credibility to the
claims that many make, saying tea is one of the best natural health
products you'll ever find (it's also very inexpensive). So the next time
you're shopping buy organic tea, brew up a cup and toast to your
cognitive longevity.