A new research conducted in Australia found that women in their 70s and 80s lived longer if they drank two cups of tea on average, per day.

The researchers studied the health records of 1,000 women over the age of 75, tracking their diet as well as their tea and coffee consumption.

Over the course of the study, 88% of the women were still alive, and those who drank two cups of tea in an average day were 40% more likely to have survived.

The Australian researchers say that this is down to flavonoids, compounds found in tea that work to boost health.

While also also found in chocolate and red wine, the study discovered that tea made the biggest contribution to the surviving women’s flavonoid count, with two cups of tea providing the recommended daily flavonoid count of 350mg.

"Tea is a major source of flavonoid compounds in the diet," said Catherine Hood, of the industry-funded Tea Advisory Panel.

"These findings are good news for British tea drinkers, many of whom are the same age as the women in this study," she added. "Older women at present drink just over two cups of tea daily on average but one in five don’t drink any tea and could benefit their health by doing so."

Women who drank daily cups of tea were less likely to die from heart disease and cancer, that are currently the two biggest killers of women over the age of 65.

"Of course, you don’t need to wait until old age to enjoy the benefits of tea," said Dr. Carrie Ruxton, an independent dietician. "Studies in younger adults show that regular tea drinking lowers the risk of heart disease because tea flavonoids improve vascular flow."

She added: "Tea also contains a modest amount of caffeine which has been proven to boost alertness and concentration."

Even pregnant women are said to benefit from drinking tea, but they have to consume it within limits.