Tea health benefits are well known, but that drinking tea can protect hearing is not widely understood. A new study published in the American journal Nutrition, Health & Aging reports that middle-aged and elderly people who regularly drink oolong tea may help maintain hearing.

ENT specialist Huang Junhao from Taiwan's Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital, together with researchers from Providence University and National Taiwan University Hospital, conducted a study involving 265 participants over the age of 55. The results showed that before adjusting for other factors, the oolong tea group had significantly higher PPS (pitch pattern sequence scores for central hearing) scores than the other group.

After excluding factors such as age, gender, waist circumference, smoking, alcohol consumption, coffee drinking, vitamin supplementation, and chronic diseases, the researchers found that the oolong tea group had significantly better ability to recognize sounds at different frequencies than middle-aged and elderly participants who did not drink oolong tea. The new study also found that drinking oolong tea had a greater protective effect on hearing in men than in women. Although drinking oolong tea has a health benefit for hearing, moderation is key, as too much can be counterproductive. The recommended amount is 1–2 cups per day.