Abstract:
Regular tea drinking is associated with a lower risk of vascular disease, according to a large-scale study of Chinese adults. However, the researchers also pointed out that factors such as tea type, tea soup concentration and drinking temperature will affect this association, and drinking "very hot" hot tea is related to a higher risk of disease.
The study, published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, included a total of 485,934 adults, with a median follow-up time of 9.05 years. During the study period, researchers recorded 14,863 cases of vascular disease, covering a variety of health problems affecting the heart and circulatory system, including cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, pulmonary heart disease, and peripheral arterial disease.
Study results show that compared with people who do not drink tea, the overall risk of developing the above-mentioned vascular diseases among people who drink tea regularly is reduced by about 11%. The researchers believe this suggests that long-term tea drinking may be associated with cardiovascular health benefits.
The study also combined analysis of tea drinking habits with lifestyle factors such as smoking status and physical activity levels. The results found that people who drank tea regularly, were not current smokers and maintained a high level of physical activity had the lowest risk of vascular disease. Together, these healthy behaviors form a more beneficial lifestyle mix, the research team said.
Further analysis found that among weekly tea drinkers, drinking approximately 6 to 8 cups of tea per day was associated with the lowest risk level. There were also differences between tea types, with black tea being more consistently associated with lower risk of vascular disease than green tea. Additionally, moderately strong teas were associated with optimal risk levels, not stronger.
However, the study also discovered a phenomenon worthy of attention. While regular tea drinking was associated with a lower risk overall, those who drank "piping hot" hot tea showed a higher risk. The researchers pointed out that temperature is an important factor that cannot be ignored when interpreting the health effects of drinking tea.
However, the study authors emphasized that this study is an observational study and can only reveal the association between different tea drinking habits and disease risk. It cannot directly prove that a certain type of tea, a specific amount of drinking, or a specific drinking method can prevent vascular diseases. Likewise, there is still a lack of conclusive evidence as to why drinking extremely hot tea is associated with a higher risk, and whether high temperatures are a direct cause of the increased risk, and further research is needed.
The research team stated that this result provides new evidence for understanding the relationship between tea drinking and cardiovascular health. It also reminds the public that in addition to drinking tea itself, healthy lifestyles such as choosing an appropriate drinking temperature, maintaining regular exercise, and avoiding smoking may play a more important comprehensive role in reducing the risk of vascular disease.
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