- Drinking tea regularly may help reduce the risk of vascular disease, according to new research.
- Black tea, drinking 6 to 8 cups of tea per day, and choosing moderate-strength tea were linked to the greatest risk reduction.
- Experts advise that drinking tea alone cannot manage cardiovascular risks. Combining regular tea drinking with avoiding smoking and maintaining high physical activity may be more effective.
Dietary choices can significantly impact vascular health. Avoiding certain foods, such as those high in saturated fats and cholesterol, can help reduce the risk of heart problems, while drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated can help reduce the risk of circulation problems and blood clots.
However, water is not the only drink that may benefit vascular health. Regularly drinking tea could help reduce the risk of vascular disease and heart problems.
This is according to new research published in October in the
They found that drinking 6 to 8 cups of tea per day could be particularly beneficial for lowering the relative risk of vascular disease.
Black tea was most beneficial, but green tea also offered benefits for vascular health.
11% lower relative risk in regular tea drinkers
Those who regularly consumed tea had an 11% lower relative risk of vascular disease, compared with those who did not drink tea often.
Examples of types of vascular disease addressed in the study include:
- cardiovascular disease
- stroke
- pulmonary heart disease
- peripheral artery disease
The researchers examined data from 485,934 participants from the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB). During a mean follow-up of 9.05 years, there were 14,863 cases of incident vascular disease.
They defined habitual tea drinking as drinking tea on at least 3 days per week. Among these weekly tea drinkers, the lowest risk was observed in those who drank about 6 to 8 cups per day.
Moderate-strength tea was also associated with the lowest observed risk, compared with weak or strong tea.
Christopher Yi, MD, board certified vascular surgeon at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA, told Medical News Today that he was “not particularly surprised” by these findings.
“Tea contains antioxidants and polyphenols that may help reduce inflammation, improve blood vessel function, and decrease oxidative stress, all of which contribute to cardiovascular disease,” explained Yi, who was not involved in the study.
“An 11% reduction in relative risk is clinically meaningful, especially when considering how common cardiovascular disease is. However, this study demonstrates an association rather than proving that drinking tea directly prevents vascular disease,” he added.
In a Science Media Center debrief, Dell Stanford, Senior Dietitian with the British Heart Foundation, who was not involved with the study, said:
“Although the lowest estimated risk was seen at 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 standardized and the study cannot prove that drinking more tea caused the lower risk.”
Black tea associated with lowest vascular disease risk
The researchers examined whether the type of tea could affect vascular disease risk.
They found that black tea was associated with the lowest risk, with a relative reduction of at least 35%.
Although not as effective as black tea, green tea was also associated with a lower risk of vascular disease.
“Both black and green tea contain beneficial antioxidants and polyphenols that may support cardiovascular health. Although black tea showed a greater association with reduced vascular disease risk in this study, I would not necessarily recommend switching from green tea to black tea based on these findings alone,” said Yi.
“The differences may be influenced by lifestyle habits, preparation methods, and other factors,” he added.
“I generally recommend drinking whichever type of unsweetened tea a person enjoys, while avoiding excessive sugar or high-caffeine tea products.”
“Burning hot” tea increased vascular disease risk
The temperature of the tea impacted the risk of vascular disease, researchers found.
Compared with people who did not drink tea, those who drank tea with a “burning hot” temperature had a 16% higher risk.
The researchers did not obtain information about the specific temperatures of the tea. Instead, the information was based on the subjective perception of the participants.
Yi told MNT“This is an interesting finding because we typically associate tea consumption with cardiovascular benefits. The increased risk associated with extremely hot tea may potentially involve thermal injury and inflammation, although the exact mechanism remains unclear.”
He added, “Since this is an observational finding, we cannot conclude that hot tea directly causes vascular disease. However, allowing tea to cool before drinking it is a simple and reasonable precaution.”
In the Science Media Center debrief, Charalampos Rallis, PhD, Reader in Genetics, Genomics, and Fundamental Cell Biology, Queen Mary University of London, who was not involved with the study, said the following:
“The authors tested many comparisons and some of the most striking findings, such as those on black tea and ‘burning hot’ tea, should be treated as exploratory.”
Can tea really support vascular health?
As the new research is an observational study, it cannot prove that drinking tea directly reduces the risk of vascular disease.
Other factors also need to be considered when supporting vascular health. The study found that regularly drinking tea alongside avoiding smoking and having high physical activity led to the biggest vascular disease risk reduction.
“I think this is one of the most important findings because it reinforces that cardiovascular health depends on multiple lifestyle factors rather than one particular habit,” said Yi.
“Avoiding smoking and maintaining regular physical activity are among the most effective ways to reduce cardiovascular disease risk. Tea consumption may provide additional benefits, but it should complement established preventive measures rather than replace them.”
Yi concluded:
“I would emphasize that tea can be part of a heart-healthy lifestyle, but it is not a substitute for managing established cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and smoking. The potential benefits are encouraging, but additional research is needed to determine whether tea consumption itself directly reduces cardiovascular events.”
