In a Chinese study, the cells of enthusiastic tea drinkers showed about 5 fewer years’ worth of wear and tear compared with the cells of people who drank little tea.

The enthusiastic tea drinkers averaged 3 or more cups of green tea daily, while the group that showed more signs of cell aging averaged less than a cup. The researchers looked specifically at the study participants’ telomeres to see how much their cells had aged. Telomeres are the segments of DNA located at the chromosome tip. They get shorter every time cells divide, so the shorter these segments are, the older your cells are, too. And in the study, the most passionate tea drinkers had significantly longer telomeres than the people who drank less than a cup a day.  

Now you have the perfect reason to enjoy your cup of tea every day.