Drinking three cups of tea a week can help you live longer, study finds
DRINKING at least three cups of tea a week is linked to a longer, healthier life, scientists say.
Their study found green tea was the best but all those enjoying a regular cuppa benefit too.
It is believed polyphenols in the brew protect against heart disease and raised blood pressure.
The researchers estimated 50-year-old regular tea drinkers had a 20 per cent lower risk of heart disease and stroke, and a 22 per cent lower risk of dying from either.
Their danger of death from any cause was also found to drop 15 per cent.
Brit favourite black tea was drunk by only eight per cent in the South East Asian study so the benefits were unclear.
The Chinese team suggests green tea is rich in polyphenols but black tea is fully fermented so may lose some of their effects.
In addition, black tea is often served with milk, which may counteract the favourable health effects.
Lead study author Dr Xinyan Wang, from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences in Beijing, said:
“Habitual tea consumption is associated with lower risks of cardiovascular disease and all-cause death.
“The favourable health effects are the most robust for green tea and for long-term habitual tea drinkers.”
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