Three Cups of Black Tea a Day Slashes Heart Attack Risk by 60%

Daily drinking of three cups of black tea can help reduce the risk of heart attack by 60 percent and lower the threat of diabetes, according to experts.

Researchers believe that the humble cuppa, packed with health-giving antioxidants, can help prevent the two killer conditions in a triple-pronged attack.

Heart Attack - Overview
Heart attack is the death of the heart muscle due to loss of blood supply. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Other names for heart attack include acute myocardial infarction, coronary thrombosis, and coronary occlusion.

Regular consumption of tea is claimed to prevent artery-blocking blood clots, control blood pressure and stop arteries from dangerously constricting and inhibiting blood flow.

All three conditions can set off a killer heart attack as blood vessels feeding oxygen to heart muscles become blocked.

An extensive review of 40 research papers by Dr Carrie Ruxton and Dr Pamela Mason evaluated a raft of data linking black tea and disease prevention.

Chinese Green Tea - Health Benefits - Harmful Effects - FAQs
Green tea is the least processed variant of tea. Tea is a beverage made from the processed leaves of Camellia sinensis (Family- Theaceae).

The study found that in most cases black tea was found to produce a significant protective association.

Dr Ruxton and Dr Mason estimate that people who drink three to six cups of tea a day lower their risk of contracting heart disease by 30 to 57 per cent compared with people who never drink it or who drink small amounts.

Animation of heart attack symptoms
Heart attack can cause symptoms such as Chest pain or discomfort, Shortness of breath and pain in neck, back, arm, or shoulder and is due to blockage of blood supply to the heart muscles

Given the available evidence to date, regular black tea consumption is linked with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes," the Daily Express quoted Dr Ruxton as saying.

"Though the amount required to produce such benefits should be the subject of further research, three to six cups of black tea daily appears to contribute to cardiovascular health.

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"These beneficial findings are thought to be due to a variety of positive factors in black tea, such as antioxidant flavonoids and theanine, which help to control blood pressure, regulate nitric oxide production (which impacts on arterial function) and inhibit platelet aggregation (which can cause blood clots).

"Our review also found evidence of a link between black tea consumption and a reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes when one to five cups of tea were consumed daily, depending on the study under investigation," she added.

The findings were published in the UK Nutrition Bulletin.

Source-ANI