Fancy a cup of tea? A new study suggests drinking tea regularly, especially green tea, can keep you healthy.

Researchers in China examined the tea consumption of more than 100,000 adults in 15 Chinese provinces as part of a larger project on cardiovascular health. The participants, who had no prior history of heart disease, stroke or cancer, provided information on their health and behavioral habits, including how much tea they drank.

The researchers followed the participants for an average of seven years and found that those who drank three or more cups of tea per week lived longer, healthier lives than those who did not frequently drink tea. The habitual tea drinkers were 20% less likely to experience a heart attack and 15% less likely overall to die prematurely. More participants in the study drank green tea than black tea, and men experienced greater health benefits than did women.

The study, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, is not claiming a cause-and-effect relationship between tea and longevity. The researchers noted their observations might not prove true for people outside China. However, the findings do support growing research that has found health benefits in tea, especially green tea. Tea is rich in flavonoids, a plant-based antioxidant that relieves inflammation and increases the efficiency of muscles in the heart, which improves cardiovascular health.

What can you take away from this study? You can put on the kettle and make yourself a cup of green tea. Drinking tea habitually is a soothing way to hydrate, and it may improve your health along the way.