If this year has taught us anything, it’s so that many things in life depend on good health. And while many of the health habits that promote longevity can feel like a task – long workouts and modest diets, to name a few – other health rituals can be an absolute pleasure. According to a study in January published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, one such habit promises a simple way to lead a “longer and healthier life”: usually drinking tea. Read on to learn the surprising benefits of it, and discover more health tips why you will be harmed if you go to bed at this exact time.
After following a group of 100,902 subjects for approximately seven years, the study found that regular tea consumption was linked to ‘healthier life expectancy and longer life expectancy’, a press release for the study explains. In particular, regular tea consumption – which is defined as drinking tea three times a week – has been found to be associated with lower risks of cardiovascular disease.
Compared to those who rarely or never drank tea, regular tea drinkers had a 20 percent reduced risk of heart disease and stroke, 22 percent reduced the risk of fatal heart disease and stroke, and 15 percent reduced the risk of death from other causes.
The researchers also analyzed how changes in habits affected the effect by measuring a subset of 14,081 participants twice, averaging 8.2 years apart. They found that regular tea drinkers who maintained their habit during that time had a 39 percent lower risk of heart disease and stroke, a 56 percent lower risk of fatal heart disease and stroke, and 29 percent had the risk of death compared to consistent never- or non-ordinary tea drinkers, ”explains the press release.
“The protective effects of tea were most pronounced among the consistent regular tea drinking group,” senior author explained Dongfeng Gu, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. “Mechanism studies have suggested that the most important bioactive compounds in tea, namely polyphenols, are not stored in the body in the long term. So regular tea intake over a long period of time may be necessary for the cardioprotective effect, “he added. Want to learn more about how this relaxing ritual can work wonders for your health? Read on for more fascinating findings from the study and for more about maintaining good heart health, it is now the best thing you can do for your heart health.
The researchers discovered that green tea in particular provides the most beneficial health benefits. While green tea was associated with a 25 percent lower risk of heart disease and stroke, the team found that black tea did not have such associations.
This may be because green tea is rich in polyphenols, which are known to promote good cardiovascular health and alleviate high blood pressure. Black tea has fewer antioxidant benefits because it is fully fermented, the researchers say.
Another reason the researchers believe that black tea may promote fewer health benefits is the way it is traditionally served. They noted that previous research has shown that drinking tea with milk, which contains a lot of saturated fat, can undermine the positive effects of tea on cardiovascular health. And for more heart-healthy habits, two glasses of this a day can improve your heart health, study finds.
When the researchers controlled the sex, they discovered that men seemed to enjoy far more health benefits of a regular ritual than women.
“One reason may be that 48 percent of men were regular consumers of tea compared to only 20 percent of women. Second, women had a much lower incidence of and mortality due to heart disease and stroke. These differences make it more tend to find statistically significant results among men, ”explains Xinyan Wang, another researcher from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.
The researchers noted that subjects from the regular tea drinking group who done eventually experiencing negative health episodes that tend to be experienced later than the non-regular tea drinkers. For example, the team suggested that 50-year-old regular tea drinkers would get heart disease or have a stroke 1.41 years later than those in the non-tea drinking group. They also projected based on their findings that ordinary tea drinkers would live 1.26 years longer than the control group. And to find out what habits are harming your heart health, go look at This is the worst thing you are doing to your heart right now.