Cup that cheers: Why drinking tea at least three times a week can help you live longer

Drinking tea at least three times a week could be linked with a longer and healthier life, scientists say.

According to new research, “habitual” consumption of the hot drink is associated with lower risks of cardiovascular disease.

But whether the tea being consumed is green or black may make a difference.

The analysis included 100,902 participants of the China-PAR project2 with no history of heart attack, stroke or cancer.

Please log in or register with Independent.ie for free access to this article.

Log In

New to Independent.ie? Create an account

Participants were categorised into two groups – habitual tea drinkers (those drinking three or more times a week), and never or non-habitual tea drinkers (those drinking less than three times a week).

They were followed up for a median of 7.3 years, in the study, which was published in the ‘European Journal of Preventative Cardiology’.

The research suggests a 50-year-old habitual tea drinker would develop coronary heart disease and stroke 1.41 years later, and live 1.26 years longer than someone who never or seldom drank tea.

Compared with non-habitual tea drinkers, habitual tea consumers had a 20pc lower risk of incident heart disease and stroke.

They also had a 22pc lower risk of fatal heart disease and stroke. They also had a 15pc decreased risk of all-cause death.

“The favourable health effects appear to be the most robust for green tea and for long-term habitual tea drinkers,” said first author Dr Xinyan Wang, of the Chinese Academy of Medical Science in Beijing.

Source: Read Full Article