Tea has long been associated with numerous health benefits, from a better night's sleep to alleviating depression, and now a new study suggests a daily cuppa or eight can lower the risk of vascular disease – with one distinct proviso.
In a study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine on Thursday, researchers followed 485,934 adults in China aged between 30 and 79 over a median of 9.05 years, during which there were 14,863 cases of vascular disease.
Vascular disease includes conditions that affects a person's circulatory system, including heart attacks, strokes, cerebrovascular disease, pulmonary heart disease, and peripheral artery disease.
The researchers found those who drank tea at least three days a week were at around 11% lower risk of developing vascular disease than those who weren't habitual drinkers.
And it was good news for regular consumers of the brew, with the lowest estimated risk appearing among weekly drinkers who had six to eight cups a day.
The type of tea also played a role, according to the study, with black tea showed more consistent inverse associations with vascular disease than green tea.
When it came to brew strength, moderate was associated with the lowest risk.
Too hot may nullify the benefits
Temperature is a key a factor to consider however, with "burning hot" tea associated with a 16% higher risk of vascular disease than those who weren't regular drinkers of the beverage.
"Joint analyses showed that tea consumption, smoking status and physical activity were collectively associated with vascular risk, with the favourable combination of habitual tea consumption, noncurrent smoking and high physical activity associated with the lowest risk," the authors concluded.
But a senior dietitian with the British Heart Foundation, Dell Stanford, said while a regular tea habit had a lower relative risk of vascular disease, it "doesn’t prove that a daily cuppa protects your heart".
"This was an observational study and other differences in people’s diets and lifestyles could help explain the findings," she said.
Stanford added that while the lowest estimated risk was seen in drinkers who had around six to eight cups a day, "we shouldn’t treat that as a recommended amount".
"Tea intake was only measured once, cup size wasn’t standardised and the study cannot prove that drinking more tea caused the lower risk.
"Importantly, the findings point to the wider role of healthy lifestyle habits. The lowest risk was seen among people who drank tea, did not smoke and were physically active. There’s no single food or drink that will transform our heart health; our overall diet and lifestyle matter much more."
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