Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.)Nov 4, 2025

Dark Tea May Help Extend Lifespan in Worms

Longevity & Aging Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Jan 1, 2026

Abstract

All tea extracts at 200 μg/mL prolonged the lifespan of C. elegans and enhanced their stress resistance.

Dark tea exhibited significant anti-aging effects compared to other types of tea.
Mechanisms of dark tea's anti-aging activity include modulation of several key signaling pathways related to stress resistance.
Dark tea increased the expression of certain protective proteins and reduced iron levels, which may inhibit cell death associated with oxidative stress.
It was observed that dark tea helps maintain the function and integrity of mitochondria, crucial for cellular energy production.
High levels of flavonoids in dark tea may contribute to its anti-aging properties.

Simplified

BACKGROUND: Numerous epidemiological studies have found that tea consumption has an anti-aging and preventive effect on age-related diseases. The question of which tea possesses the most potent anti-aging properties and the underlying mechanisms of these effects remains largely obscure.

PURPOSE: To explore which type of tea has the strongest anti-aging activity and its mechanism of action.

METHODS: The Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) longevity and stress tests were used to evaluate the anti-aging activities of six types of tea. Additionally, ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was employed to compare the differences in anti-aging-related chemical components among these teas. These analyses were conducted to identify the tea with the strongest anti-aging activity and to further explore its underlying molecular mechanisms.

RESULTS: All the extracts of tea (200 μg/mL) prolonged life and enhanced stress resistance. Surprisingly, dark tea (DT) had significant anti-aging efficacy. Furthermore, this study found that anti-aging mechanisms of DT include (a) DT modulated the IGF-1 signaling pathway (IIS), SKN-1 and HSF-1 stress resistance pathway, and the AMPK/SIRT1/FOXO signaling pathway. (b) DT upregulated skn-1 and ftn-1 expression, decreased Felevels, and inhibited ferroptosis. (c) DT preserved the integrity and functionality of mitochondria. 2+

CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that DT significantly extended lifespan by enhancing antioxidant capacity, maintaining mitochondrial function and suppressing ferroptosis in C. elegans. These anti-aging effects mediated by multiple mechanisms. Furthermore, the anti-aging properties of DT are partly attributed to its high flavonoid levels.

Funding

Competing interests

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

PubMed

Dark Tea May Help Extend Lifespan in Worms

Abstract

Funding

Competing interests

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

What Lands in Your Inbox Each Week:

Recent issues from the longevity & aging brief