Tea intake among adults in 185 countries between 1990 and 2018: population based study

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Global Health
• Dietary Patterns

Background:

• Tea is the second most consumed beverage globally, but detailed worldwide intake data are scarce.
• Understanding tea consumption patterns is crucial for global nutritional surveillance and public health initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess global tea intake patterns among adults (≥20 years) from 1990 to 2018.
• To analyze variations in tea consumption by age, sex, education, and urbanicity across different countries and regions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized individual-level dietary data from the Global Dietary Database 2018.
• Included 1224 surveys from 185 countries, covering the period 1990–2018.
• Stratified analysis by demographic factors and geographic regions.

Main Results:

• In 2018, global mean tea intake was 6.18 cups/week, with significant regional disparities (3.85 cups/week in Latin America to 8.95 cups/week in the Middle East and North Africa).
• Highest national intakes were observed in Iran, Japan, and Afghanistan.
• Global intake increased by 0.94% annually from 1990–2018, with substantial growth in Southeast and East Asia (1.68% annually), particularly China (3.04% annually), while Georgia experienced a decline (-5.91% annually).
• Tea intake showed a modest increase with age, with minimal differences across sex, education, or urbanicity.

Conclusions:

• Significant global heterogeneity exists in tea consumption patterns.
• Findings provide a basis for targeted nutritional surveillance and public health strategies related to beverage intake worldwide.