The associations of unsweetened, sugar-sweetened, and artificially sweetened tea consumption with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in 195,361 UK Biobank participants: a large prospective cohort study
BackgroundTea consumption has been associations with a lower risk of mortality and numerous health benefits. However, it is still unclear whether consuming tea with or without sugar or sweeteners has different effects on mortality. It is necessary to investigate the associations of unsweetened, suga...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Nutrition |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1649279/full |
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| author | Hao Huang Lei Zhang Ding Zhang Miaomiao Yang Ying Lin Zhiyong Wang Pei Wei Jiaqi Lin Jingyao Huang Pengfei Wei Yinggang Chen Baochang He Ming Zhang Dongsheng Hu Fulan Hu |
| author_facet | Hao Huang Lei Zhang Ding Zhang Miaomiao Yang Ying Lin Zhiyong Wang Pei Wei Jiaqi Lin Jingyao Huang Pengfei Wei Yinggang Chen Baochang He Ming Zhang Dongsheng Hu Fulan Hu |
| author_sort | Hao Huang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundTea consumption has been associations with a lower risk of mortality and numerous health benefits. However, it is still unclear whether consuming tea with or without sugar or sweeteners has different effects on mortality. It is necessary to investigate the associations of unsweetened, sugar-sweetened, and artificially sweetened tea consumption with all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality.MethodsIn this population-based cohort study of 195,361 UK Biobank participants who completed at least one 24-h dietary recall, we examined tea consumption by type (unsweetened, sugar-sweetened, artificially sweetened). Cox proportional hazards models and restricted cubic splines were used to assess nonlinear associations between tea intake and the risks of all-cause, cancer, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. We also conducted subgroup analyses stratified by genetic score for caffeine metabolism.ResultsAfter a median follow-up of 13.6 years, 11,718 all-cause deaths were recorded, including 2,202 deaths from CVD and 6,415 from cancer. A U-shaped association was observed between tea consumption and mortality risk. Compared with non-consumers, individuals consuming 3.5–4.5 drinks per day of unsweetened tea had the lowest risks of all-cause (HR, 0.80; 95% CI: 0.75–0.86), cancer (HR, 0.86; 95% CI: 0.77–0.97), and CVD (HR, 0.73; 95% CI: 0.60–0.89). Sugar-sweetened tea showed no consistent or statistically significant associations with all-cause, cancer, or CVD mortality across different levels of consumption. Similarly, no significant associations were found for artificially sweetened tea. The observed associations between tea consumption and mortality were not modified by genetic predisposition to caffeine metabolism.ConclusionUnsweetened tea consumption was significantly associated with a lower risk of all-cause, cancer, and CVD mortality. No consistent or statistically significant associations were observed for sugar-sweetened or artificially sweetened tea. The potential attenuation of tea’s protective effects by added sugar or artificial sweeteners warrants further investigation. Given current evidence, it may be advisable to consume tea without added sweeteners to optimize health benefits and longevity. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-86079a3050b742e881ffcdbd38e23a68 |
| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Nutrition |
| spelling | doaj-art-86079a3050b742e881ffcdbd38e23a682025-08-20T03:34:39ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Nutrition2296-861X2025-07-011210.3389/fnut.2025.16492791649279The associations of unsweetened, sugar-sweetened, and artificially sweetened tea consumption with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in 195,361 UK Biobank participants: a large prospective cohort studyHao Huang0Lei Zhang1Ding Zhang2Miaomiao Yang3Ying Lin4Zhiyong Wang5Pei Wei6Jiaqi Lin7Jingyao Huang8Pengfei Wei9Yinggang Chen10Baochang He11Ming Zhang12Dongsheng Hu13Fulan Hu14Department of Preventive Medicine, Zhuhai Campus of Zunyi Medical University, Zhuhai, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, ChinaDepartment of Preventive Medicine, Zhuhai Campus of Zunyi Medical University, Zhuhai, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, ChinaDepartment of Immunology, Zhuhai Campus of Zunyi Medical University, Zhuhai, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Immunology, Zhuhai Campus of Zunyi Medical University, Zhuhai, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, ChinaDepartment of Endocrinology, Shenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Shenzhen Hospital, National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Shenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, ChinaDepartment of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaBackgroundTea consumption has been associations with a lower risk of mortality and numerous health benefits. However, it is still unclear whether consuming tea with or without sugar or sweeteners has different effects on mortality. It is necessary to investigate the associations of unsweetened, sugar-sweetened, and artificially sweetened tea consumption with all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality.MethodsIn this population-based cohort study of 195,361 UK Biobank participants who completed at least one 24-h dietary recall, we examined tea consumption by type (unsweetened, sugar-sweetened, artificially sweetened). Cox proportional hazards models and restricted cubic splines were used to assess nonlinear associations between tea intake and the risks of all-cause, cancer, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. We also conducted subgroup analyses stratified by genetic score for caffeine metabolism.ResultsAfter a median follow-up of 13.6 years, 11,718 all-cause deaths were recorded, including 2,202 deaths from CVD and 6,415 from cancer. A U-shaped association was observed between tea consumption and mortality risk. Compared with non-consumers, individuals consuming 3.5–4.5 drinks per day of unsweetened tea had the lowest risks of all-cause (HR, 0.80; 95% CI: 0.75–0.86), cancer (HR, 0.86; 95% CI: 0.77–0.97), and CVD (HR, 0.73; 95% CI: 0.60–0.89). Sugar-sweetened tea showed no consistent or statistically significant associations with all-cause, cancer, or CVD mortality across different levels of consumption. Similarly, no significant associations were found for artificially sweetened tea. The observed associations between tea consumption and mortality were not modified by genetic predisposition to caffeine metabolism.ConclusionUnsweetened tea consumption was significantly associated with a lower risk of all-cause, cancer, and CVD mortality. No consistent or statistically significant associations were observed for sugar-sweetened or artificially sweetened tea. The potential attenuation of tea’s protective effects by added sugar or artificial sweeteners warrants further investigation. Given current evidence, it may be advisable to consume tea without added sweeteners to optimize health benefits and longevity.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1649279/fullteasweetenersrisk factormortalityUK Biobank |
| spellingShingle | Hao Huang Lei Zhang Ding Zhang Miaomiao Yang Ying Lin Zhiyong Wang Pei Wei Jiaqi Lin Jingyao Huang Pengfei Wei Yinggang Chen Baochang He Ming Zhang Dongsheng Hu Fulan Hu The associations of unsweetened, sugar-sweetened, and artificially sweetened tea consumption with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in 195,361 UK Biobank participants: a large prospective cohort study Frontiers in Nutrition tea sweeteners risk factor mortality UK Biobank |
| title | The associations of unsweetened, sugar-sweetened, and artificially sweetened tea consumption with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in 195,361 UK Biobank participants: a large prospective cohort study |
| title_full | The associations of unsweetened, sugar-sweetened, and artificially sweetened tea consumption with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in 195,361 UK Biobank participants: a large prospective cohort study |
| title_fullStr | The associations of unsweetened, sugar-sweetened, and artificially sweetened tea consumption with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in 195,361 UK Biobank participants: a large prospective cohort study |
| title_full_unstemmed | The associations of unsweetened, sugar-sweetened, and artificially sweetened tea consumption with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in 195,361 UK Biobank participants: a large prospective cohort study |
| title_short | The associations of unsweetened, sugar-sweetened, and artificially sweetened tea consumption with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in 195,361 UK Biobank participants: a large prospective cohort study |
| title_sort | associations of unsweetened sugar sweetened and artificially sweetened tea consumption with all cause and cause specific mortality in 195 361 uk biobank participants a large prospective cohort study |
| topic | tea sweeteners risk factor mortality UK Biobank |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1649279/full |
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