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. 2023 Nov 22:42:100955.
doi: 10.1016/j.lanwpc.2023.100955. eCollection 2024 Jan.

Tea consumption and attenuation of biological aging: a longitudinal analysis from two cohort studies

Yi Xiang  1 , Hao Xu  2 , Hongxiang Chen  1 , Dan Tang  1 , Zitong Huang  1 , Yuan Zhang  1 , Zhenghong Wang  3 , Ziyun Wang  4 , Yangla  5 , Mingming Han  6 , Jianzhong Yin  7   8 , Xiong Xiao  1 , Xing Zhao  1
Affiliations

Tea consumption and attenuation of biological aging: a longitudinal analysis from two cohort studies

Yi Xiang et al. Lancet Reg Health West Pac. .

Abstract

Background: The biological aging process can be modified through lifestyle interventions to prevent age-related diseases and extend healthspan. However, evidence from population-based studies on whether tea consumption could delay the biological aging process in humans remains limited.

Methods: This study included 7931 participants aged 30-79 years from the China Multi-Ethnic Cohort (CMEC) Study and 5998 participants aged 37-73 years from the UK Biobank (UKB) who participated in both the baseline and first follow-up surveys. Tea consumption information was collected through questionnaires. Biological age (BA) acceleration was calculated using clinical biomarkers and anthropometric measurements based on the Klemera Doubal method (KDM). Change-to-change analyses were performed to estimate the associations between changes in tea consumption status and changes in BA acceleration using multiple linear models. Follow-up adjusted for baseline analyses were further conducted to examine the prospective exposure-response relationship between tea consumption and BA acceleration among individuals with constant tea consumption status.

Findings: During a median follow-up of 1.98 (1.78, 2.16) years in the CMEC and 4.50 (3.92, 5.00) years in the UKB, tea consumption was consistently associated with attenuated BA acceleration in both cohorts. Transitioning from nondrinking to tea-drinking was associated with decreased BA acceleration (CMEC: β = -0.319, 95% CI: -0.620 to -0.017 years; UKB: β = -0.267, 95% CI: -0.831 to 0.297 years) compared to consistent nondrinking. Even stronger associations were found in consistent tea drinkers. The exposure-response relationship suggested that consuming around 3 cups of tea or 6-8 g of tea leaves per day may offer the most evident anti-aging benefits.

Interpretation: Tea consumption was associated with attenuated BA acceleration measured by KDM, especially for consistent tea drinkers with moderate consumption. Our findings highlight the potential role of tea in developing nutrition-oriented anti-aging interventions and guiding healthy aging policies.

Funding: National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 82273740).

Keywords: Biological aging; Change-to-change analysis; Exposure-response relationship; Follow-up adjusted for baseline analysis; Tea consumption.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flowchart of the study. ∗See the Supplementary Material (Supplementary Tables S1–S4) for more information on the availability of biomarker data.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Estimated associations between change in tea consumption status and change in BA acceleration. Results were adjusted for demographics and self-reported diseases at baseline: sex, race and ethnicity, education, TDI (UKB only), urbanicity (CMEC only); and the baseline and concurrent changes of time-variant variables: age, occupation, marital status (CMEC only), menopause status in women, smoking status, alcohol consumption, beverage consumption, healthy diet, total energy intake (CMEC only), insomnia, depressive symptom, anxiety symptom, physical activity, and body mass index. The boxes represent point estimations and error bars represent 95% CI. The numbers below error bars are numbers of participants in each group.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Stratified analysis of estimated associations between change in tea consumption status and change in BA acceleration according to predefined characteristics. All models were adjusted for demographics and self-reported diseases at baseline: sex, race and ethnicity, education, TDI (UKB only), urbanicity (CMEC only); and the baseline and concurrent changes of time-variant variables: age, occupation, marital status (CMEC only), menopause status in women, smoking status, alcohol consumption, beverage consumption, healthy diet, total energy intake (CMEC only), insomnia, depressive symptom, anxiety symptom, physical activity, and body mass index, with exclusion of the stratified variable as appropriate. The boxes represent point estimations. Horizontal lines represent 95% CI. ∗Heterogeneity test: P = 0.002.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Estimated prospective associations between tea consumption and BA acceleration. Results were adjusted for the baseline BA acceleration and baseline covariates: age, sex, race and ethnicity, education, occupation, marital status (CMEC only), menopause status in women, TDI (UKB only), urbanicity (CMEC only), smoking status, alcohol consumption, beverage consumption, healthy diet, total energy intake (CMEC only), insomnia, depressive symptom, anxiety symptom, physical activity, body mass index, and self-reported diseases. The left panel of the figure displays the non-linear relationships between tea consumption and BA acceleration fitted using restricted cubic spline. The right panel displays the estimated associations of tea consumption fitted in models as a categorical variable with BA acceleration. The boxes represent point estimations and error bars represent 95% CI. The numbers below error bars are numbers of participants in each group.
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