Drink Green Tea, Live Longer

By Editorial Staff

Green tea may have originated in China centuries ago, but it's made its way to the U.S. and is rapidly becoming a popular beverage option – and not just for tea enthusiasts. That's because the health benefits of green tea are profound, including perhaps the biggest health benefit one could want: living longer.

Recent research supports this connection. According to findings reported in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, habitual tea consumption is associated with lower rates of cardiovascular disease and overall death. The study assessed tea consumption by frequency and type via two surveys conducted nearly a decade apart, and then tracked participants for another five years thereafter.  No study participant had any history of heart disease, stroke or cancer when the study began.

Tea drinkers who maintained their habit  (three or more times weekly) had a significantly lower risk of incident heart disease and stroke, fatal heart disease and stroke, and death by any cause compared to participants who never or only occasionally drank tea (less than three times weekly). With regard to tea type, analysis supported the protective effect of green tea, but not black tea.

Keep in mind that tea is beneficial not just because of the health-promoting compounds it (particularly green tea) contains (e.g., polyphenols), but also because it's a significantly healthier option than soda or sugar-sweetened beverages, consumption of which has reached epidemic proportions in the U.S. over the past several decades.