Will Drinking Tea Make You Healthy?

Scientific review published in Advances in Nutrition finds daily tea intake may lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality

Around
the world, the most popular beverage other than water is tea, with approximately
21% of Americans consuming tea every day.  With so many regular tea drinkers, wouldn’t it
be great if tea conferred health benefits?

Tea is
a flavonoid-rich beverage.  Flavonoids
are a group of phytonutrients that are responsible for the colors in fruits and
vegetables.  A growing body of research
suggests that flavonoids, as antioxidants, may offer healthful properties that
protect us from heart disease and certain cancers.  To date, research studies have examined the
health properties of tea with mixed results, some finding a link between tea
consumption and improved health outcomes and others not.

Recently published in Advances in Nutrition, the international review journal of the American Society for Nutrition, “Dose–Response Relation between Tea Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease and All-Cause Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Population-Based Studies” reviewed the current body of evidence in order to determine the relation between tea consumption and the risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.

In order to conduct their research, the authors of this review article searched the scientific literature for relevant studies, identifying 39 prospective cohort studies that met their criteria. Following their research, the authors concluded that “daily tea intake as part of a healthy habitual dietary pattern may be associated with lower risks of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality among adults.”  Moreover, they stated that “incorporating tea as part of a healthy diet is a simple dietary modification that may have positive public health implications on chronic disease risk reduction worldwide.”

Several
possible biological mechanisms may underlie the link between tea and a lower
risk of cardiovascular disease.  According
to the authors, “the most important potential biological mechanism is the
ability of tea flavonoids to reduce both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.”

Overall,
the authors rate the strength of the evidence they collected to be low or
moderate.  Interestingly, the strength of
the evidence was higher among studies that focused on older adults.  The authors noted that “future, rigorously
designed random-controlled trials would greatly strengthen the evidence base
and certainty of our findings.”  In
particular, they pointed out that a lack of standardization across studies makes
it difficult to determine the optimal dosage of tea.

Despite the call for more research, the authors believe “our systematic review provides evidence to begin developing dietary guidance and public health messaging around the consumption of tea.”  If you’re currently a tea drinker, you can enjoy your next cup of tea with the knowledge that it likely confers positive health benefits.  If you’re not currently a tea drinker, you might want to consider taking it up.

References Mei Chung, Naisi Zhao, Deena Wang, Marissa Shams-White, Micaela Karlsen, Aedín Cassidy, Mario Ferruzzi, Paul F Jacques, Elizabeth J Johnson, Taylor C Wallace, Dose–Response Relation between Tea Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease and All-Cause Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Population-Based Studies. Advances in Nutrition, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmaa010.

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