A new study presented at European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress in Barcelona, revealed that drinking tea could lower the risk of death due to causes unrelated to the heart.
For the study, researchers included 131,401 individuals aged 18 to 95 years who had a health check up at the Paris IPC Preventive Medicine Center between January 2001 and December 2008. They investigated the effects of drinking coffee and tea on cardiovascular (CV) mortality and non-CV mortality. Their results showed that drinking tea was associated with a 24 per cent reduction in non-cardiovascular mortality.
The follow-up was done for 3.5 years, during which they reported 95 deaths due to heart problems and 632 deaths due to non-CV causes. The consumption of tea and coffee was analysed with the help of a self-administered questionnaire having the options for consumption as none, 1 to 4, or more than 4 cups per day.
They results also revealed that those who didn’t have coffee were more physically active, with 45 per cent having a good level of physical activity compared to 41 per cent of the heavy coffee drinkers. The differences in blood pressure were small, with heavy coffee drinkers having a slightly lower systolic blood pressure (SBP) and higher diastolic blood pressure (DBP) compared to non-drinkers when adjusted for age.
Tea drinkers had the reverse profile of coffee drinkers, with consumers having a better CV risk profile than non-consumers. One-third (34 per cent) of the non-drinkers of tea were current smokers compared to 24 per cent of those who drank 1-4 cups per day and 29 per cent of those who drank more than 4 cups. Tea had a more marked effect on blood pressure than coffee, with a 4-5 mmHg decrease in SBP and 3 mmHg decrease in DBP in the heavy tea drinkers, compared to non-drinkers, when adjusted for age.
‘Overall we tend to have a higher risk profile for coffee drinkers and a lower risk profile for tea drinkers. We also found big differences with gender. Men tend to drink coffee much more than women, while women tend to drink more tea than men,’ said researcher Professor Nicolas Danchin from France.
The main health benefits of tea drinking
Here are some of the key health benefits that scientists reckon tea drinking can have on the body:
- Tea hydrates the body — Although water is the prime fluid for rehydrating the body after exercise or a long day in the office, some scientists believe that drinking tea could be equally useful. Although high in caffeine, tea is still great for hydration as it provides a rich and flavoursome source of water.
- Tea prevents tooth decay — Believe it or not, a regular supply of tea can really strengthen your teeth and lower the risk of tooth decay. Tea is a great source of fluoride, which can bolster tooth enamel. The antioxidants contained within a cuppa have also been known to fight against bacteria and gum disease. So get slurping!
- Boosting memory power with tea — Many scientists believe that certain types of tea, such as green tea, can strengthen memory cells in the brain, and offer protection from the development of dementia and even Alzheimer’s disease. No wonder old people drink so much tea!
- Beating cancer through the power of tea — Some high-profile studies have recently suggested that tea drinking could seriously help your chances of avoiding cancer. Although research is still developing in this area, reports indicate that prostate, mouth and breast cancer cases are much lower amongst those who regularly drink five or more cups of tea a day.
With inputs from PTI
Image source: Getty images
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