Does Milk In Tea Reduce Antioxidants?

Does milk reduce tea's antioxidants? In short: milk proteins can bind some of tea's polyphenols, and studies are mixed on whether that blunts the effect. The practical upshot is small, so drink your tea the way you enjoy it.

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Last reviewed by the teas.co.uk team in May 2026.

It is a fair question with a reassuring answer. Milk can bind to some of the antioxidant compounds in tea, but the research is mixed and the real world difference is minor. Your splash of milk is not cancelling out your cup.

What actually happens

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Tea's antioxidant polyphenols can attach to the proteins (caseins) in milk. Some studies suggest this reduces how many are available to the body; others find little meaningful change. The honest position is that the effect is real but small and not settled. See Wikipedia: green tea and Wikipedia: tea.

The practical takeaway

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If antioxidants are your main reason for drinking tea, green and white teas are usually drunk without milk anyway. For everyday black tea, the modest effect of milk is not worth worrying about, the benefits of tea are modest to begin with, and enjoyment matters more than chasing a marginal number.