Drinking black tea may lower the risk of heart disease, report researchers who studied the link between the beverage and heart health in a Saudi Arabian population.
The team found that those who drank more than six cups of black tea daily lowered their risk of coronary heart disease by more than half, compared to those who were not regular tea drinkers.
The researchers pointed to the flavonoids, found in both green and black teas, as the likely agent protecting against heart disease. A study in Japan recently found that green tea may reduce the risk of heart attack. There have however been fewer studies of black tea.
Researchers from the University of Arizona in the US and King Saud University in Saudi Arabia interviewed 3,430 Saudis aged from 30 to 70. Information on dietary habits, smoking, coffee drinking, exercise and other factors were included. The researchers noted that only 6 per cent had indications of coronary heart disease.
The researchers found that those who drank more than six cups of tea daily (about 20 per cent of those interviewed) had a 50 per cent lower risk of heart disease than those who did not drink tea. Adjustments for risk factors including age, gender, occupation, education, smoking, family history, blood lipids, diabetes, blood pressure, BMI, physical activity, and coffee and fat intake did not remove the significance. They noted that those with heart disease tended to drink less tea than those with healthier hearts.
It is thought that the flavonoids in tea may lower blood pressure and reduce stroke. Flavonoids may also lower clotting risks and hardening according to the researchers.
"These findings support a potential protective effect of tea consumption in relation to coronary heart disease," concluded the researchers.
The findings are published in the January issue of the Preventive Medicine.