Tea Linked to Lowering Heart Risk

More evidence published Sunday indicates that tea may ward off heart disease--in this case coronary artery disease, especially in women.

A Dutch study found that those who drank one to two cups of tea daily lowered by 46% their risk of severe aortic atherosclerosis, a narrowing of the arteries caused by a buildup of fat and other substances on the inner walls. At four cups a day, the risk dropped by 69%.

The finding, based on a study of 3,454 people in the Netherlands who were free of cardiovascular disease, was published in this week’s issue of the Chicago-based Archives of Internal Medicine.

Tea’s protective effect may come from flavonoids, which act as antioxidants, said the researchers from Erasmus University Medical School in Rotterdam.

Flavonoids, found in plant products such as tea, wine and onions, neutralize harmful chemicals that damage cells and can lead to illnesses such as heart attacks, strokes and cancer.

The report said tea’s protective effect was more evident in women than in men for reasons that were not clear.

It also said more study is needed on the subject of tea’s impact on the cardiovascular system.

The authors cautioned that tea’s apparent protective effect may not be absolute since tea drinking in Western populations is generally associated with a healthy lifestyle and diet.

“Also in our study, the intake of tea was somewhat higher in lean, educated people who smoked less and had a relatively low intake of alcohol, coffee and fat,” it added.

The study adds to a number of recent reports showing that tea can protect against heart disease.

Earlier this year, a team at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston showed that people who had a cup or more of tea a day had a 44% reduction in heart attack risk compared with non-tea drinkers.