April 21st is National Tea Day in the UK, and in recognition of this today’s post will examine research regarding tea consumption and cardiovascular outcomes.
Tea is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. Tea is derived from Carmellia sinesis leaves, and leaf buds. Carmellia sinesis is an evergreen shrub or small tree, which grows at elevation in warmer weather climates. Approximately 40% of the global tea production comes from China, with India producing about 22%. Other leading producers include Kenya, Sri Lanka, and Turkey. Turkey is the largest per capita consumer of tea, at 5 1/2 pounds per person per year. According to statistics from the Tea Association of the USA, Americans consumed over 84 billion servings of tea last year. Over 84% of that was black tea, with about 15% being green tea.
Tea is purported to have a range of health benefits, from cardiovascular benefits, to lowering risks of certain cancers, to improvement in cognitive health. Tea is composed of hundreds of bioactive compounds, including flavonoids. Flavonoids are thought to have antioxidant properties, and may be the source of some of the beneficial properties of tea.
Researchers in China performed a meta-analysis of published prospective observational studies to examine the relationship between tea consumption and various cardiovascular outcomes. Twenty-two different studies were included in the analysis, including participants from the US, Europe, and Asia. More than 850,000 subjects were enrolled in these various trials.
Researchers discovered that increased tea consumption was associated with a reduction in cardiac death, cerebral infarction, heart disease, intracerebral hemorrhage and stroke. More importantly, tea consumption was associated with a reduction in total mortality. These results were with a serving of three cups of tea per day.
This was a robust meta-analysis, with a large number of study participants, spanning the globe. Given these results, consider tea as a healthy beverage choice, and salute National Tea Day!
“There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.” Henry James
(Source- European Journal of Epidemiology (2015) 30)
This blog is a review of published medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.