Why A Cup of Tea with Your Mum is Good for Your Heart and Soul

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, it’s apt that a new survey of more than 1,000 UK adults¹ – reviewed by the Tea Advisory Panel – has found that a third (33%) of Brits would choose their mum as the most inspiring woman to have tea with. This rose to nearly half in Birmingham, Swansea and Edinburgh, where people clearly value their mums.

Although the survey results showed Mum is the nation’s favourite person to share a cup of tea with, another surprising choice has won the hearts of the country: the Princess of Wales. An impressive 16% of those polled selected her to share a cuppa, ahead of our best friend at 13%.

Regarding the survey results, dietitian and Tea Advisory Panel member Dr Carrie Ruxton said, “Tea makes us feel warm, comforted, and loved, as well as being great news for our hearts and souls. No wonder that a third of us would love to share a special brew with our mums.

“It’s not just about how we feel but what tea is doing for our health and wellness for the better. Across the generations, tea offers benefits such as protection from cardiovascular disease, support for weight management, oral health, and a boost for mental alertness”.[2],[3],[4],[5]

“Studies show that tea – whether it’s regular black tea or green – contains helpful compounds proven to influence our brain, blood vessels and gut. These include polyphenols, caffeine, L-theanine [an amino acid] and fluoride.”

According to a new real-world research review, drinking tea regularly is particularly important for middle-aged women. The review found that the highest tea drinkers reduced their risk of osteoporosis by nearly 60%.[6] The study combined the results from 18 studies involving 48,615 women.

A clinical trial in women reported that drinking three cups of green tea daily for 14 weeks helped women reduce their waist-to-hip ratio, targeting the belly area of the body.[7]

The benefits of tea for weight management are thought to be due to special natural compounds called catechins, which may boost fat burning.

New research [8] suggests that mums-to-be should also consider a daily cuppa to help support their babies’ development. The study tracked women’s beverage habits throughout their pregnancies. Drinking tea was associated with better cognitive development in babies, especially fine motor skills, which relate to how well children can pick up items.

Dr Carrie Ruxton added, “Whether it’s for the health benefits or just because she loves the taste, Mothering Sunday gives us a great excuse to pamper our mum with a pot of her favourite brew”.

References:

¹ Independent poll of 1015 UK adults conducted by Perspectus Global, March 2025

[2] Mason P, Bond T (2021) Tea and Wellness throughout Life. Nutr Food Technol Open Access 7(1): dx.doi.org/10.16966/2470-6086.172 [3] Bhandari B, Zeng L, Grafenauer S, Schutte AE, Xu X. Long-Term Consumption of 6 Different Beverages and Cardiovascular Disease-Related Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies. Curr Dev Nutr. 2024;8(3):102095. Published 2024 Feb 8. doi:10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.102095 [4] Derbyshire et al. (2023). https://www.sciforschenonline.org/journals/nutrition-food/NFTOA184.php [5] Kim J, & Kim J (2018) Nutrients, 10(9), 1201. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10091201. [6] Tea consumption and bone health in postmenopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis – PubMed [7] Effectiveness of green tea in a randomised human cohort: relevance to diabetes and its complications – PubMed [8] Impact of tea and coffee consumption during pregnancy on children’s cognitive development | Scientific Reports