Regular tea drinking linked to lower risk of stroke and heart disease

Regular tea drinking linked to lower risk of stroke and heart disease But only if it's not too hot. We all know the comforting feeling of cradling a hot cup of tea. But now you can enjoy it knowing you could also be lowering your risk of serious illnesses like heart disease, a heart attack or stroke. In fact, drinking tea three or more times a week is linked to an 11% lower risk of heart disease, according to a new study. But, drinking tea that's too hot is linked to the opposite effect: a 16% increase in vascular disease risk. Researchers published their study in the Journal of Internal Medicine. They studied nearly 500,000 people over nine years. Among the key findings were: - habitual tea consumption was associated with 11% less risk of vascular disease - for those drinking "burning hot" tea, the effect is the opposite, with a 16% increase in the risk of vascular disease - 6-8 cups of tea per day was pinpointed as the specific volume associated with the lowest estimated risk of vascular disease among weekly tea drinkers - those who combined habitual tea drinking with being a non-smoker and maintaining high physical activity have a massive 42.5% lower risk of vascular disease - black tea showed the strongest and most consistent association with vascular diseases, followed by green tea - the temperature and strength also made a difference — researchers found the best combination was moderately strong and non-scalding tea. Of course, as with any food with a positive health impact, it is not a silver bullet against illness. The best thing you can do to keep your risk of serious illness as low as possible remains to eat healthily, exercise and sleep well. “This was an observational study and other differences in people’s diets and lifestyles could help explain the findings,” Dell Stanford, senior dietitian at the British Heart Foundation, who did not participate in the study, told Euronews, adding that the results don’t prove “that a daily cuppa protects your heart”. Why is tea good for you? This is far from the first medical study to find links between drinking tea and a positive impact on health. But why, since tea is not known for vitamins and nutrients? "You won't find many vitamins or nutrients in tea, but it's rich in phytochemicals-compounds that give plants their characteristics (such as colour and smell) and have pharmacological effects when we consume them," says Harvard Medical School. "Tea's primary phytochemicals are caffeine and polyphenols." Polyphenols are plant-based compounds thought to deliver significant health benefits, including anti-inflammatory and anti-ageing properties, alongside favourable effects on gut and brain health. The richest sources of polyphenols include fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, tea, coffee and cocoa. What causes heart disease, heart attacks and stroke? They are all cardiovascular diseases, a group of conditions that affect your heart and blood vessels. Coronary heart disease is when arteries become blocked by a build-up of fat, making it hard for blood to flow to and from your heart. This can lead to a heart attack. A stroke happens when blood suddenly stops flowing to a part of your brain because of a blockage. Lifestyle is a major factor in cardiovascular disease — especially smoking, drinking too much alcohol, being overweight and not being active.