Tea benefits need healthy lifestyle - expert

Monday June 21st, 2010

British experts have urged the public not to substitute tea and coffee drinking for a healthy lifestyle.

A major study in Holland has suggested massive benefits from drinking large amounts of tea and coffee.

People who drink more than three cups of tea a day enjoyed a risk of dying from heart disease reduced by between 45 and 36 per cent, according to the study of more than 37,000 Dutch people.

Most Dutch people drink black tea.

The research found moderate coffee drinking was linked to reduced risk of heart disease. People drinking between two and four cups and day were 20 per cent less likely to develop heart disease than others.

The findings were reported in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.

But Ellen Mason, a senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: "This study adds further weight to the evidence that drinking tea and coffee in moderation is not harmful for most people, and may even lower your risk of developing or dying from heart disease.

"However, it's worth remembering that leading a healthy lifestyle is the thing that really matters when it comes to keeping your heart in top condition.

"Having a cigarette with your coffee could completely cancel any benefits, while drinking lots of tea in front of the TV for hours on end without exercising is unlikely to offer your heart much protection at all."

Researcher Dr Yvonne van der Schouw, of the Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Centre Utrecht, The Netherlands, said: "Our results found the benefits of drinking coffee and tea occur without increasing risk of stroke or death from all causes."

Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology: Journal of the American Heart Association DOI: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.109.201939

Tags: Diet & Food | Europe | Heart Health | UK News

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