Tea Type and Drinking Temperature May Influence Cardiovascular Health

Not all tea-drinking habits were associated with the same potential health benefits. Researchers found significant differences in vascular disease risk depending on the type of tea consumed, its strength and the temperature at which it was served.

The large-scale Chinese study found that people who regularly drank tea had a lower risk of developing diseases affecting the heart and blood vessels. However, this association varied according to tea type, concentration and temperature, while drinking tea at scalding-hot temperatures was associated with an increased risk.

Published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, the study followed 485,934 adults for a median period of 9.05 years. During the follow-up, researchers recorded 14,863 cases of cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, pulmonary heart disease and peripheral arterial disease.

These conditions affect the heart and circulatory system. They include diseases of the brain's blood vessels, heart complications associated with lung disease, and reduced blood flow through arteries supplying the limbs.

Compared with people who did not drink tea, regular tea consumers had an 11 percent lower risk of developing these conditions.

The researchers also examined tea consumption alongside other health-related behaviors, including smoking status and physical activity, to assess how these factors collectively related to vascular disease risk.

The study authors wrote: “Joint analyses showed that tea consumption, smoking status and physical activity were collectively associated with vascular disease risk, with the combination of habitual tea consumption, current non-smoking status and high levels of physical activity associated with the lowest risk.”

Tea Type, Strength and Temperature Matter

Among people who drank tea every week, the lowest estimated risk was observed among those consuming approximately six to eight cups daily.

Black tea showed a more consistent association with reduced vascular disease risk than green tea, while drinking tea of moderate strength was associated with the lowest risk.

The findings demonstrate associations between the factors examined, but do not establish that consuming a specific amount of tea or preparing it in a particular way can prevent disease.

The increased risk associated with drinking scalding-hot tea contrasts with the overall lower risk linked to regular tea consumption. This suggests that drinking temperature should also be taken into account when interpreting the findings.

However, the reported results do not explain why consuming extremely hot tea was associated with higher vascular disease risk, nor do they establish that heat itself was responsible for the increase.