Key Takeaway:
- Tea and cardiovascular health: Regular tea drinkers had an 11% lower relative risk of vascular disease in an observational study.
- Tea type and temperature matter: Moderate-strength tea showed favorable associations, while scalding-hot tea was linked to higher risk.
- More research is needed: The study does not prove tea prevents cardiovascular disease or establish an ideal daily intake.
Researchers in China found that regular tea drinking was associated with an 11% lower risk of vascular disease among 485,934 adults, according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of Internal Medicine.
Large Study Tracks Tea Habits and Vascular Health
The researchers followed participants for a median of 9.05 years and recorded 14,863 cases of vascular disease, highlighting the link between Tea and cardiovascular health, including cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, pulmonary heart disease and peripheral artery disease. Participants reported their tea-drinking habits, allowing researchers to examine associations involving frequency, type, strength and temperature.
The study, titled “Habitual tea consumption is associated with lower cardiovascular disease risk,” found that people who regularly drank tea had a lower relative risk of developing these conditions than those who did not drink tea regularly.
The lowest estimated risk among people who drank tea at least weekly occurred at approximately six to eight cups per day. However, researchers and independent experts cautioned that this finding does not establish an ideal daily intake or prove that drinking more tea reduces disease risk.
The authors also examined how tea consumption interacted with other lifestyle factors. “Joint analyses showed that tea consumption, smoking status and physical activity were collectively associated with vascular risk,” they wrote, adding that habitual tea drinking combined with not smoking and high physical activity was associated with the lowest risk.
Also Read: Black Tea vs. Green Tea: Benefits, Caffeine, Antioxidants, and Key Differences
Tea Type, Strength and Temperature Show Different Patterns
Tea and cardiovascular health research found that black tea showed more consistent associations with lower vascular disease risk than green tea, while moderate-strength tea was associated with the lowest risk. Researchers also found that drinking tea described as “burning hot” was associated with elevated vascular risk.
These findings do not prove that black tea is superior to green tea or that tea temperature directly changes cardiovascular risk. The researchers examined multiple comparisons, and some results may require further investigation before they can support specific health recommendations.
Dr. Charalampos Rallis, a reader in genetics, genomics and fundamental cell biology at Queen Mary University of London, said the study adds to existing observational evidence linking regular tea consumption with lower cardiovascular risk.
However, Rallis noted that the analysis did not fully account for diet and income. He also said the findings about black tea and extremely hot tea should be treated as exploratory rather than definitive.
The study’s reliance on participants’ reported habits also presents limitations. Tea consumption was measured at one point, and researchers did not standardize cup sizes, making it difficult to establish a precise relationship between the amount consumed and health outcomes.
Experts Warn Against Treating Tea as a Prevention Strategy
Dell Stanford, a senior dietitian at the British Heart Foundation, said the results do not prove that tea itself protects the heart.
“This was an observational study and other differences in people’s diets and lifestyles could help explain the findings,” Stanford said in a statement published by the Science Media Centre.
Stanford cautioned against interpreting six to eight cups daily as a recommended amount. She also said further evidence is needed to determine whether the findings apply similarly to people outside China.
Tea and cardiovascular health research found that the combination of tea drinking, not smoking, and regular physical activity was associated with the lowest vascular risk. Experts emphasized that broader lifestyle habits remain central to cardiovascular health.
The findings suggest that habitual tea consumption may be linked to vascular health, but they do not establish that starting to drink tea or increasing intake will prevent heart disease or stroke. Further research is needed to clarify the relationship and its relevance across different populations.
Also Read: Is Green Tea Bad for You? The Truth About Green Tea Benefits
