Habitual tea consumption may help reduce arterial stiffness

By Hal Conick

- Last updated on GMT

Tea may help prevent artery stiffness.
Tea may help prevent artery stiffness.
A recent study has found that habitual consumption of tea may help reduce arterial stiffness.

The study​, titled A Cross-sectional Study of the Relationship Between Habitual Tea Consumption and Arterial Stiffness​, said those people who consume tea for more than six years at 10g daily may be protected against arterial stiffness.

Researchers used a cross-section, epidemiological survey, which looked at 5,689 adults, ages 40 to 75, from the Wuyishan, Fujian Province in China, to find the result of the study. Structured questionnaires, pulse wave velocity and ankle–brachial pressure index were used for measurement.

Among the subjects studied, 31.2% said they consumed tea once or more per week for at least a year. However, levels of brachial–ankle pulse wave velocity (ba-PWV) were found to be lowest among those who consumed tea for more than a decade.

“As the duration and the daily amount of habitual tea consumption increased the average ba-PWV decreased,”​ the study said. “Multiple logistic regression models revealed that habitual tea consumption was a positive predictor for ba-PWV.”

Echoing the study’s results

The arterial stiffness study is among much research over the years that points to tea’s potential. Peter Goggi, president of the Tea Association of the USA​, told BeverageDaily that there have been many studies in recent years that showcase tea’s health benefits, “specifically in terms of artery health and blood pressure,”​ he said.

Goggi pointed to multiple studies, including:

  • A prospective study of 74,000 subjects over 10 years that found an inverse relationship between drinking tea and experiencing a stroke
  • A meta-analysis showing that those who consume at least three cups of green or black tea per day have a 21% lower chance of stroke compared to those who consume less than one cup per day
  • A study showing that those who drank more than six cups of tea per day had a lower chance of coronary heart disease than those who did not consume tea

Do consumers fully know the benefits?

When asked if he believes consumers know about these scientifically-tested benefits of tea, Goggi said he believes that most are “very aware”.

“We estimate about 85% of the US population falls into this category,”​ he said. “This awareness, rooted in both qualitative and quantitative studies over centuries, continues to rise. Findings from a consumer survey that we recently released found that nearly half (43%) of Americans appreciate tea for doing something good for their body.”

While the Tea Association is still gathering estimates of the tea market for 2015, he cited the estimated value for the tea industry for 2014 to be at $10.84bn. This includes ready-to-drink, traditional market food service and the specialty segment. 

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