OLDER people who drink lots of sugary tea are almost as bad as kids who sip on fizzy drinks, a dental charity has warned. The UK's leading dental health charity has backed reports that tea can be good for oral and general health - but says many of these benefits will be reversed if people take sugar with their tea.

The British Dental Health Foundation was reacting to a report in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition that drinking tea can be even better than drinking water when it comes to health.

Dr Nigel Carter, chief executive of the Foundation, said: "It is absolutely true that tea can have a variety of oral and general health benefits.

"It contains fluoride which strengthens tooth enamel and has been proven to reduce tooth decay, it has antioxidants that clear your system and it rehydrates you.

"However, many people take sugar with their tea and this can cause tooth decay if consumed too frequently.

"Tooth decay is a problem in Britain.

"It can be a particular problem for the elderly who might suffer from recurring decay where their teeth have been weakened by fillings.

"In addition older people are often less health conscious.

"For people who drink six or seven cups of tea per day - each with two sugars - these drinking habits can be almost as bad as the constant sipping of fizzy drinks by young people."

"With that in mind, we recommend that people who take sugar in their tea limit their tea drinks to mealtimes where possible. Milk and water are better between meals alternatives."