Drinking tea three or more times a week is associated with an 11% reduced risk of heart disease, according to recent research published in the Journal of Internal Medicine. However, the same study found that consuming tea at excessively hot temperatures is linked to the opposite effect: a 16% increased risk of vascular disease.
Researchers examined nearly 500,000 participants over a nine-year period. The findings, reported by the Mirror, highlight several key associations between tea consumption and cardiovascular health.
Key Findings on Tea and Vascular Health
The study identified that habitual tea consumption was associated with an 11% lower risk of vascular disease. For those drinking "burning hot" tea, the effect was reversed, with a 16% increase in the risk of vascular disease. Among weekly tea drinkers, consuming 6-8 cups per day was pinpointed as the specific volume associated with the lowest estimated risk of vascular disease.
Participants who combined habitual tea drinking with being a non-smoker and maintaining high physical activity showed a 42.5% lower risk of vascular disease. Black tea demonstrated the strongest and most consistent association with vascular diseases, followed by green tea. The temperature and strength of the tea also made a difference, with researchers finding that the best combination was moderately strong and non-scalding tea.
Expert Caution and Context
As with any food offering positive health benefits, tea is not a cure-all against illness. The most effective way to keep the risk of serious illness minimal remains maintaining a healthy diet, regular exercise, and adequate sleep.
"This was an observational study and other differences in people's diets and lifestyles could help explain the findings," Dell Stanford, senior dietitian at the British Heart Foundation, who wasn't involved in the study, told Euronews. Stanford noted that the results don't prove "that a daily cuppa protects your heart".
Why Tea May Benefit Health
This is not the first medical research to discover connections between tea consumption and beneficial health outcomes. Harvard Medical School explains that while tea contains few vitamins or nutrients, it is rich in phytochemicals—compounds that give plants their characteristics, such as colour and smell, and have pharmacological effects when consumed.
"Tea's primary phytochemicals are caffeine and polyphenols." Polyphenols are plant-derived compounds believed to offer substantial health benefits, including anti-inflammatory and anti-ageing qualities, as well as positive effects on gut and brain health. The most abundant sources of polyphenols include fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, tea, coffee, and cocoa.
Understanding Cardiovascular Disease
Heart disease, heart attacks, and stroke are all cardiovascular diseases—a collection of conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels. Coronary heart disease occurs when arteries become narrowed by a build-up of fat, restricting blood flow to and from the heart, which can result in a heart attack. A stroke occurs when blood supply to part of the brain is suddenly interrupted due to a blockage.
Lifestyle plays a significant role in cardiovascular disease, particularly smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, being overweight, and leading a sedentary lifestyle.
