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Black Or Green Tea? How Hot? How Often? New Details On Tea For Heart Health
People have been drinking tea for thousands of years, and there is lots of research that the habit is good for you.
A massive new study1 specifically dug into how regular tea drinking impacts vascular disease. It found that not all tea habits are created equal, with some surprisingly specific data about which tea to reach for and how much to drink to best support your veins and arteries.
About the study
Researchers analyzed data from the China Kadoorie Biobank, a long-running health study that included 485,934 participants. Over an average follow-up of about nine years, there were 14,863 new cases of vascular disease among participants, according to the study.
What makes this research stand out from other research about the affects of tea on our health is how deep it went. Instead of just asking "do you drink tea or not," the researchers looked at several dimensions of people's tea habits, including what type of tea they drank, how strong they brewed it, how hot they drank it, and how many cups they had per day. They then checked how each of these factors related to the risk of developing vascular disease (a category that describes conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels), plus 12 specific subtypes of it.
The big picture: Tea drinkers had lower risk
People who were habitual tea drinkers had a lower risk of developing vascular disease overall compared with non-drinkers, according to the study. That protective link also showed up across several major heart and brain-related outcomes the researchers tracked.
This was an observational study1 based on a Chinese population, which means it shows an association between tea habits and vascular disease risk, not direct proof that tea itself causes the lower risk. The researchers also relied on participants to report their own tea-drinking habits. However, with nearly half a million people and multiple consistent patterns across different outcomes, it adds meaningful weight to what we already know about tea and heart health.
Black vs. green tea
The study also found that black tea had more consistent links to lower vascular disease risk than green tea across the outcomes measured, which is notable given that previous research has show green tea as having more health benefits. Consistently drinking any type of tea has health benefits, and you can tailor the type of tea you choose to drink to your specific health goals. And based on this research, if you specifically want to support your blood vessels, black tea showed the steadier track record.
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Skip the strong brew & let it cool
If you want to get the most out of tea drinking, there are a few other details from the study worth mentioning.
First, moderate-strength tea was linked to lower vascular disease risk than very strong tea. Some people think the longer they brew the tea the larger the benefit, but this study shows that you don't need to steep your tea to the point of bitterness to get that positive outcome.
Second, temperature matters more than you'd think. Drinking tea "burning hot" was linked to a higher risk of vascular disease compared with drinking it at a more moderate temperature, according to the study. If you're someone who drinks your tea the moment it's poured, letting it cool for a few minutes first is a simple way to support your health.
How many cups should you actually drink
This is the question most people want answered, and the study offers a specific range. Among people who drank tea weekly, risk was lowest at around 6 to 8 cups per day.
That might sound like a lot, but other research on tea and cardiovascular health supports the general idea that more tea tends to track with more benefit.
A meta-analysis of population-based studies2 found that higher tea intake was linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. Separately, a large meta-analysis of nearly 2 million people3 found that moderate tea intake of about 1.5 to 2 cups per day was linked to lower risks of all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality compared with not drinking tea. The cardiovascular benefit from that study held steady even at higher levels of tea intake.
In other words, you don't need to hit 6 to 8 cups to see some benefit. But if you already love drinking tea throughout the day and worry you're overdoing it, this research suggests you're likely in a good range.
Why tea may help your blood vessels
Part of the reason tea may lower vascular disease risk may come down to what's happening inside your blood vessels themselves. Tea is rich in bioactive plant compounds, including flavonoids, that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Research on the vascular mechanisms4 behind tea's effects suggests these compounds can improve how the thin layer of cells lining your blood vessels function, which supports better blood vessel relaxation, reduced arterial stiffness, and helps prevent harmful clotting. Regular tea consumption has also been tied to better blood pressure regulation, improved cholesterol levels, and better blood sugar control, which are all connected to vascular disease.
The takeaway
If you already have a tea habit, this research gives you a few simple ways to fine-tune it to better support your arteries. Lean toward black tea over green when you can, brew it at a moderate strength, let it cool a bit before sipping, and aim for a consistent daily habit rather than an occasional cup. Pair that with regular movement and skipping cigarettes, and you're covering a lot of ground for your heart and blood vessels.
But remember, simply drinking tea isn't enough to protect your heart and blood vessels. The researchers also looked at what happened when habitual tea drinking was combined with not smoking and getting a high amount of physical activity. That combination was linked to the lowest vascular disease risk of any group studied. Tea is one more lever to pull in a wider scheme of healthy lifestyle habits that can help protect against vascular disease.