What are you drinking as you read this? Coffee? Tea? Water? What drinks you choose throughout the day can make a difference in your life expectancy—and, apparently, a combination of those drinks may even be elite.
A large-scale, long-term study by the University of Cambridge shows that this combination of beverages actually plays a role in long-term health.
A drinks study examined over 180,000 adults for 13 years
The study, which looked at 180,000 adults in the United Kingdom for 13 years, compared drinking habits in correlation to general mortality, along with certain disease risks. Each participant provided information on their daily consumption of coffee, tea, and water, along with other lifestyle habits and their health history. The result: people who divided their daily fluid intake between several drinks—especially water, coffee, and tea—had a lower mortality risk than those who concentrated mainly on just one drink. The most favorable ratio of coffee to tea netted out at two cups of coffee for every three cups of tea—i.e., if you’ve already had one of each and still want another, grab a tea next.
One pattern that stood out particularly positively was when coffee and tea were consumed together. In moderate quantities, supplemented by sufficient water, this combination was most common among the participants with the best long-term health values. The decisive factor here was, above all, about balance: neither excessive coffee consumption nor drinking only water or tea scored best, but the mixture throughout the day.
Which factors are really decisive in the combination of drinks
The authors of the study emphasize that the results are based on observations. This means that they show correlations, but do not prove any direct causes. Nevertheless, the results fit in well with what we already know. While coffee and tea provide natural plant substances, water supports basic processes in the body. Together, they could ensure that the body is well hydrated and at the same time benefits from things like antioxidants in coffee and tea, which studies have linked to anti-inflammatory effects, better vascular function, and a more stable metabolism—all factors that are also relevant for life expectancy in the long term.
What is particularly interesting to note is that drinking water alone was not automatically associated with the best results. Although drinking enough remains an important basis for good health, the analysis shows that water is particularly beneficial when it is part of a varied beverage pattern.
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