Drinking green tea has many health benefits. Now, a new study says that the beverage is also the key to staying agile as one grows older.

Japanese researchers have carried out the study and found that those who drink green tea the most are the least likely to develop “functional disability” compared to their peers who drink just standard tea or coffee.

For their study, the researchers at Tokyo University tracked the health of almost 14,000 men and women, all aged 65-plus, for three years, noting what they ate and drank and factoring in data on any care they needed, Daily Mail said.

The more green tea they consumed, the more mobile and self-sufficient they were. Those who got through at least five cups a day were 33 per cent less likely to develop disability than those who drank less than one cup.

Three to four cups a day cut the risk by 25 per cent, according to the findings published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition .

Green tea drinkers fared better as they grew older even taking into account that they generally had healthier diets, lower smoking rates, were better educated and had more friends and family to rely on, the study found.

Though it is not clear why green tea gives such a boost to health. But it does contain high levels of polyphenols, plant chemicals thought to cut cholesterol and protect DNA from damage, according to the researchers.

Although it’s not clear how green tea might offer a buffer against disability, lead researcher Yasutake Tomata noted that one recent study found green tea extracts seem to boost leg muscle strength in older women.

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