Sip Tea for Lasting, Heart-felt Memories during National Iced Tea Month

It's about time we move oolong to the summer and celebrate the second-most consumed beverage in the world - tea! With the temperatures rising and flowers blooming, there's nothing more refreshing than a tall glass of freshly brewed iced tea or a tea cocktail! In honor of National Iced Tea Month this June, as well as National Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month, the Tea Council of the USA is sharing important new research that supports the health benefits of sipping iced (or hot) tea in June, throughout the summer and all year!

Today, people are more health-conscious than ever - especially when choosing foods and beverages. It's no wonder more than 8 in 10 (82%) Americans drink tea for its health benefits, compared to 71% of coffee drinkers. 1 Consuming true teas, which originate from the Camellia sinensis plant, including green, black, dark, oolong and white teas, have been linked to numerous health benefits.

The Tea Council of the USA encourages consumers to sail into summer by drinking true tea as a beverage (hot or iced), to enjoy its health properties. There is a significant and growing body of science demonstrating the benefits of drinking tea in the areas of cardiovascular disease and cognitive function.

Tea and Alzheimer's/Dementia

• A recent study published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry concluded that frequent green tea consumption (of 5 cups of tea daily vs. 1 cup) was associated with lower risk for new dementia diagnosis in the Ohsaki Cohort. 2

Tea for brain health

• A study reveals that green tea improves all-around brain health. Green tea specifically influences cognition (benefits in memory and attention), psychopathological symptoms (reduction of anxiety), and brain function (activation of working memory seen in functional MRI). 3

Tea and heart health

• Research using data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis demonstrated that tea drinkers have slowed progression of coronary artery calcium and fewer cardiovascular events. This effect was seen in subjects who consumed more than one cup of tea daily. 4

"Tea is one of the most versatile beverages - it not only has the ability to satisfy everyone's unique palates, but it can do so while providing a variety of healthful benefits at the same time," says Peter F. Goggi, President of the Tea Council of the USA. "And since 80% of the tea consumed in the U.S. is iced, we're looking forward to celebrating National Iced Tea Month by sharing innovative, delicious iced tea recipes and tea health facts across our social media channels."

Stay refreshed, and healthy, this summer with a TEA-riffic Bourbon Tea Latte recipe from the Tea Council of the USA:

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. tea bourbon
• ¾ oz. heavy cream
• ½ oz. maple syrup
• ¼ oz. simple syrup

Tea Bourbon

• 1 Tbsp. black tea leaves
• 8 oz. bourbon

Directions:

1. Steep black tea leaves in bourbon for 1 hour, strain and keep at room temperature.
2. Pour ingredients in a cocktail shaker, shake and strain over ice in a rocks glass.
3. Enjoy!

For more tea facts and recipes, follow us on Twitter @TeaCouncil and on our newly-launched Instagram page @TeaCouncil! Join the fun by searching and/or posting tea recipes with #NationalIcedTeaMonth.

About the Tea Council of the USA:
The Tea Council of the USA is a non-profit association that was formed in 1950 as a joint partnership between tea packers, importers and allied industries within the United States, and the major tea producing countries. It functions as the promotional arm of the tea industry with a primary goal of increasing overall awareness of tea by providing information about its many positive attributes. One of the Council's primary objectives is the dissemination of key scientific findings about tea to the public. The Tea Council does this in several ways including: funding scientific meetings to bring tea researchers from around the world together to share key information and identify next steps for future research projects; and working with health organizations and international scientists to disseminate information about potential positive health effects of tea consumption on a public level.

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