--- title: Drinking Tea Could Literally Change Your Genes description: A new study suggests that drinking tea might change how DNA is expressed, which could play a role in cancer and estrogen-related diseases. canonical: https://time.com/4803382/drinking-tea-health-benefits/ author: Amanda MacMillan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-06-02T21:01:52.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T05:14:22.222Z article:section: Health og:title: How Drinking Tea May Change Your Genes og:description: The same changes were not seen in coffee drinkers. og:url: https://time.com/4803382/drinking-tea-health-benefits/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc9163005c1a0531a/6988d0032dce0156a79edbf7/black-tea.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4969 og:image:height: 2795 og:image:alt: black-tea og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How Drinking Tea May Change Your Genes twitter:description: The same changes were not seen in coffee drinkers. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc9163005c1a0531a/6988d0032dce0156a79edbf7/black-tea.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How Drinking Tea May Change Your Genes > Sponsored content. 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Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. by [Amanda MacMillan](https://time.com/author/amanda-macmillan/) ## Amanda MacMillan Jun 2, 2017 9:01 PM UTC  Woman's hands serving tea from teapot. Woman's hands serving tea from teapot.Getty Images by [Amanda MacMillan](https://time.com/author/amanda-macmillan/) ## Amanda MacMillan Jun 2, 2017 9:01 PM UTC Tea has been linked to numerous health benefits, from a reduced risk of [heart attacks](http://www.health.com/heart-disease/a-daily-cup-of-tea-may-soothe-your-heart) and [high blood pressure](http://time.com/3517842/this-kind-of-tea-lowers-blood-pressure-naturally/) to potential protection against [certain cancers](http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20534999,00.html). Now, a study suggests that the biological effects of the beverage may extend to the genetic level: Drinking tea might change how DNA is expressed, which could play a role in disease susceptibility and overall health. Behavior or environment can trigger chemical modifications in the body that affect which genes are turned on and off, the study of which is known as [epigenetics](http://time.com/3911161/explaining-epigenetics-the-health-buzzword-you-need-to-know/). In the new [study](https://academic.oup.com/hmg/article-abstract/doi/10.1093/hmg/ddx194/3848993/Tea-and-coffee-consumption-in-relation-to-DNA), published in _Human Molecular Genetics_, tea drinking for women was associated with epigenetic changes in 28 different gene regions known to interact with cancer or estrogen metabolism. Coffee, on the other hand, was not associated with epigenetic changes—suggesting that while both beverages are rich in antioxidants and seem to have health benefits, they may affect the body in different ways. These changes were also not seen in men who drank tea. This could be because tea affects women differently (through estrogen-related pathways), the authors say, or because there were fewer male tea drinkers in the study, making it more difficult to find a significant association. **MORE**: [The Case for Drinking Coffee Is Stronger Than Ever](http://time.com/4768860/is-coffee-good-for-you/?iid=sr-link4) The study looked at DNA samples from more than 3,000 adults participating in several different studies across Europe. Along with other diet and lifestyle behaviors, people reported how often they drank coffee and tea. The analysis was adjusted for age, gender and smoking status, and the effects of coffee and tea were adjusted against each other. Information was not available on what type of tea people regularly consumed. “However, we know that in each included country, individuals drink mostly black tea,” says lead author Weronica Ek, a researcher in the department of immunology, genetics and pathology at Uppsala University. Ek can’t say how long or how frequently a person must drink tea to experience these epigenetic changes, but she hopes to tackle this question in future research. **MORE**: [10 Super Healthy Foods You’ve Never Heard Of](http://time.com/3733347/10-super-healthy-foods-youve-never-heard-of/?iid=sr-link9) How—or even if—these changes are related to actual health outcomes is still uncertain. But Ek points out that a number of studies have shown that tea consumption may play a role in suppressing tumor progression, decreasing inflammation and lowering estrogen levels in women. “These epigenetic changes might be indeed be one mechanism behind reported health effects,” she says, adding that the theory needs to be confirmed in larger follow-up studies. She also says it’s important to remember that in studies on the health benefits of coffee and tea, many other factors are usually involved. Coffee drinkers in the study smoked more than tea drinkers, for example, “which definitely can end up looking like tea drinkers are more healthy compared to coffee drinkers if smoking habits are not adjusted for in an appropriate way,” she says. It could also be that health-conscious people simply choose tea over coffee, Ek says, “since reports and magazines have told them it is healthy to drink tea.” The findings on epigenetic changes are certainly intriguing, she says, and may provide some insight into how the compounds in tea influence health. But for now, she says, “I would recommend people drink the beverage that they enjoy.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4803382/drinking-tea-health-benefits/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4803382/drinking-tea-health-benefits/"},"headline":"How Drinking Tea May Change Your Genes","datePublished":"2017-06-02T21:01:52.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T05:14:22.222Z","description":"A new study suggests that drinking tea might change how DNA is expressed, which could play a role in cancer and estrogen-related diseases.","url":"https://time.com/4803382/drinking-tea-health-benefits/","keywords":["Diet & Nutrition"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc9163005c1a0531a/6988d0032dce0156a79edbf7/black-tea.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Amanda MacMillan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/amanda-macmillan/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc9163005c1a0531a/6988d0032dce0156a79edbf7/black-tea.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"black-tea","caption":"black-tea","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/dietnutrition/","name":"Diet & Nutrition"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4803382/drinking-tea-health-benefits/","name":"How Drinking Tea May Change Your Genes"}}]}] ```