Can tea help your heart? Why the hottest cups stood out in a study of nearly 486,000 adults

The kettle clicks off. Do you sip your tea right away or let it sit while you make breakfast? A study in the Journal of Internal Medicine found a difference worth noting and this was more to do with temperature. Regular tea drinkers had a lower risk of disease affecting the heart and blood vessels, while people who described their tea as “burning hot” had a higher risk, which could be shocking news for tea drinkers.

What did the study find about tea health benefits?

Researchers followed 485,934 adults in China for a median of about nine years. They recorded 14,863 cases of vascular disease. The conditions included stroke and peripheral artery disease, which can restrict blood flow to the limbs. Participants reported how often they drank tea. They also described the type of tea they preferred and how they prepared it. They revealed whether they liked to drink their tea hot or burning hot or medium hot.


People who drank tea at least three days a week had about an 11% lower relative risk than less frequent drinkers. Researchers took factors such as smoking and physical activity into account. Other differences between the groups could still help explain the result. The study followed people’s usual habits, so it couldn’t establish that tea itself lowered their risk.

Does drinking very hot tea change the picture?

People who described their tea as “burning hot” had a 16% higher relative risk of vascular disease than people who didn’t drink tea regularly, CNN reported. Those who drank tea at room temperature or hot but not scalding had lower estimated risk than the same comparison group.

One person’s burning hot description could be another person’s just hot, and it will always vary person to person. So, without measuring temperatures, the study cannot tell you whether waiting a few minutes changes your heart risk or not. There is a separate reason to let a scalding cup cool. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has linked regularly drinking very hot beverages to a higher risk of esophageal cancer, so if you let your tea cool down a bit, then you may reduce the cancer risk.

Is black tea better than green tea for your heart?

Black tea showed more consistent links with lower vascular risk. Tea brewed to moderate strength was also associated with lower risk. Both black and green tea come from Camellia sinensis and contain plant compounds called polyphenols. Processing changes the mix of those compounds. Dr. Leana Wen told CNN she wouldn’t advise anyone to switch teas based on these results.

How many cups of tea should you drink a day?

Among people who drank tea at least weekly, the lowest estimated risk appeared around six to eight cups a day. The researchers didn’t use a standard cup size, and participants estimated their intake. The finding doesn’t make eight cups a target. Caffeine can also add up across several mugs, especially if you drink coffee as well.

FAQs

Does the study prove tea prevents heart attacks or strokes?

No. It found a link between tea habits and vascular health.

Do I need to drink my tea cold?

No. People who drank it hot but not scalding also had a lower estimated risk.