Served hot or iced, tea is the most widely consumed beverage worldwide next to water. On any given day, more than 158 million Americans drink tea, adding up to 80 billion servings in 2014 alone. Healthcare Triage host and pediatrician Dr. Aaron Carroll looked at some of the most prominent studies evaluating the health benefits of tea drinking and broke down the findings with a comprehensive conclusion.

After researchers analyzed 15 different studies on tea consumption, they found each additional two cups of tea a day led to a 4.6 percent decreased risk of developing diabetes. Many people believe green tea has weight loss benefits, and although eight studies found consumption led to a slight loss of weight, Carroll pointed out only one of the many studies' reviews were conducted in America, while others were done in Japan.

Overall, very few of the tea-drinking studies were performed in America, which is why Carroll declares the findings less applicable for the general public. Japan has one of the highest tea consumptions in the world, making it difficult to compare how Americans would benefit. However, when looking across all of the studies, the potential tea could have in a person’s life on a consistent and long-term basis yields positive health benefits.

Drinking 3 Cups A Day Leads To:

  • 37 percent decreased risk of depression
  • 27 percent decreased risk in coronary heart disease
  • 26 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease
  • 24 percent decreased risk of dying prematurely
  • 21 percent decreased risk of stroke
  • 21 percent lower risk of intracerebral hemorrhage (bleeding on the brain)
  • 16 percent lower risk of cerebral infarction (type of stroke)
  • 11 percent decreased risk of endometrial cancer (green tea only)