International Tea
Day – 21st May 2024: Brits
Need To Get Savvy On The Hydration And Performance Boosting
Properties Behind Tea Before A Workout
LONDON, May 20, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Ahead of International Tea Day - 21st May
2024 - and with summer inspiring more of us to get
off the sofa to be active, a 2024 real-world research
study1 reviewed by the tea
science experts at the Tea Advisory Panel –
www.teaadvisorypanel.com - reveals some fascinating insights into
Brits' understanding of the performance-boosting power of a simple
cup of tea.
While over four fifths (83%) correctly identified that tea
counts towards our daily fluid recommendation of six to eight cups
or glasses a day, as many as three quarters (73%) said they
never drank tea before a workout.
"Most people have a good understanding that staying hydrated
is important for sports and fitness, but fewer seem to be aware
that tea has been found to have the same hydrating capabilities
as water," says Elyn
Marwick, a personal trainer, CrossFit athlete and an avid
tea drinker.
With a growing body of evidence indicating that tea can make up
part of daily fluid targets, dietary guidelines spanning the globe
suggest tea as a way to meet daily water intake goals.
"Extensive scientific data points to the wellbeing benefits
tea brings, including improved sleep, better mood and fat
loss – all of which can contribute to improved fitness,"
says dietitian and member of the Tea Advisory Panel (TAP),
Dr Carrie Ruxton.
However, only two fifths (40%) of over 1,000 British adults
surveyed as part of the 2024 real-world research poll
claimed to drink tea for its ability to hydrate, while only a
quarter (24%) said they drank it for its health benefits.
"Our review study on Tea for Sport and Fitness (Derbyshire and colleagues) pointed to
evidence that when healthy males drink up to six mugs of black
tea a day, it provides similar levels of hydration to
water,"2 says Dr Tim Bond, flavonoids expert and member of
the Tea Advisory Panel, adding, "So it's concerning to see
that four in 10 (40%) of British adults are drinking less than
the ideal 3-4 cups of tea a day."
Busting infusion confusion
"With 50-60% of our body consisting of water, it's a
no-brainer that we need to keep drinking enough fluid to maintain
health," adds Elyn Marwick.
However, the 2024 real-world research study reviewed by TAP
suggests some confusion over tea's hydrating effects.
"Over four fifths (83%) know that tea counts towards the
daily fluid recommendation and nearly two thirds (63%) said they'd
reach for a cuppa to help quench their thirst, but only 46% agree
that tea is officially hydrating. On top of this, too few
appreciate that water and tea have the same hydrating properties
(54%). Interestingly, more males than females said they were aware
that tea stands head-to-head with water when it comes to hydration.
Clearly, Brits are receiving mixed messages about the hydrating
plant power of tea," says Dr Carrie
Ruxton.
Elyn Marwick continues, "The
figures from the 2024 Tea real-world research poll suggests that
Brits need some help in getting up to speed with the facts on tea's
hydration and performance-boosting power when it comes to sports
and exercise."
"Tea is more than simply a delicious way to hydrate; it's a
whole package of goodness in a mug," adds Dr Carrie Ruxton.
The review study by Derbyshire
and colleagues noted that tea could contribute to energy levels,
nutrient and polyphenol intakes, which could support sports and
fitness performance.
"It's a subtype of polyphenols, called flavan-3-ols, that
hold the key to delivering the health benefits," says
flavonoids expert Dr Tim Bond,
adding, "In fact, the American Academy of
Nutrition and Dietetics published the first dietary
recommendation for flavan-3-ols of 400-600 mg a
day.3 Drinking just four cups a
day is an easy way to hit this target."
Yet, despite the importance of these health and performance
-boosting plant substances, only a fifth (19%) of respondents in
the poll said they had heard of flavonoids, and less than a fifth
(22%) knew that tea contains polyphenols.
"We can see from the survey review that we undertook as the Tea
Advisory Panel that when people are clearly informed, they
understand what needs to be done," says Dr Tim Bond, adding, "For instance, six in 10 (60%)
people wanted to see a dietary guideline for flavonoids here in the
UK when they were told that flavonoids have a role in
cardiovascular health and maintenance of cognitive function."
Dr Carrie Ruxton concludes,
"The scientific evidence for the benefits of tea when it comes
to sports and exercise performance is clear. People know that
hydration is important for exercise; they just need some clarity on
the connection between tea and achieving their personal best. Tea
is an all-rounder for hydration as it's naturally calorie-free,
contains healthy polyphenols and tastes better than
water." www.teaadvisorypanel.com
FOR MORE DETAILS SEE: www.teaadvisorypanel.com
The Tea Advisory Panel: The Tea Advisory Panel is
supported by an unrestricted educational grant from the UK TEA
& INFUSIONS ASSOCIATION, the trade association for the UK
tea industry. The Panel has been created to provide media with
impartial information regarding the health benefits of tea. Panel
members include nutritionists; dieticians and doctors.
1 Independent poll of 1010 UK-based
adults, Perspectus Global; March
2024
2 Derbyshire E, Bond T, Jenkins G
(2021) Tea For Sport And Fitness: A Scoping Review 7(1):
dx.doi.org/10.16966/2470-6086.174
3 Crowe-White KM, et al. Flavan-3-ols
and Cardiometabolic Health: First Ever Dietary Bioactive Guideline.
Adv Nutr. 2022 Dec 22;13(6):2070-2083. doi:
10.1093/advances/nmac105. PMID: 36190328; PMCID: PMC9776652.
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SOURCE Tea Advisory Panel