A study by Chinese researchers shows that people who drink tea three times a week have a lower risk of dying prematurely from cardiovascular disease. They would also live longer and healthier.
Green, black, white or blue… And if, for the new year, drinking more tea was one of your good resolutions? Popular all over the world, from China to India via England, this hot drink is renowned for its diuretic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
According to a new study, conducted by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences in Beijing (China), and published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, tea would also have protective properties of the cardiovascular system. Drinking it regularly would also allow you to live longer and healthier.
“Habitual tea consumption is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and death from all causes,” explains Dr. Xinyan Wang, lead author of the study. The favorable health effects are most robust for green tea and for long-term habitual tea drinkers.”
A 20% reduction in cardiovascular risk
To reach this conclusion, the researchers analyzed data from 100,902 participants with no history of heart attack, stroke or cancer. The volunteers were classified into two categories: those drinking tea at least three times a week and non-habitual tea drinkers (less than three times a week).
After follow-up for a median of 7.3 years, researchers found that drinking tea regularly was associated with longer life expectancy. For example, 50-year-old habitual tea drinkers would develop coronary heart disease and stroke 1.41 years later and live 1.26 years longer than those who never or rarely drank tea.
Concretely, habitual tea drinkers would see their risk of developing heart disease or stroke reduced by 20%, the risk of fatal heart disease or stroke reduced by 22% and the risk of death from all causes reduced by 15%. %.
“The protective effects of tea were more pronounced in regular and habitual tea drinkers,” notes Dr. Dongfeng Gu, co-author of the work. “Mechanism studies have suggested that the main bioactive compounds in tea, namely polyphenols, are not stored long-term in the body. Thus, frequent tea consumption over a prolonged period may be necessary for the cardioprotective effect.”
Green tea instead of black tea
The researchers were also interested in the virtues of tea depending on whether it is black or green. Not surprisingly, it is the latter that is associated with a greater reduction in the risk of incident heart disease and stroke, fatal heart disease and stroke, and death from all causes: about 25% in less. In contrast, no significant association was observed for black tea.
“In our study population, 49% of habitual tea drinkers most often consumed green tea, while only 8% preferred black tea. The low proportion of habitual black tea drinkers might make it more difficult to observe robust associations, but our results suggest a differential effect between tea types,” says Dongfeng Gu.
How to explain this significant difference in properties between green tea and black tea? While the former is a rich source of polyphenols, which protect against cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure and dyslipidemia (too much liquid in the blood), this is not the case with black tea. Its leaves, which have undergone complete oxidation, have altered the polyphenols, which then lose their antioxidant effects. Additionally, the researchers noted that black tea was often consumed with milk, which may counteract the protective effects of tea on cardiovascular function.
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