Tea is not only delicious, but also very useful drink, because it can significantly reduce the risk of premature death, say French researchers.
The study shows that in people who drink tea, the risk of death from causes not related to the heart decreases by a quarter compared to those who do not drink it.
Experts say that tea is much better than coffee, since those who prefer the latter tend to smoke and can not boast of such health. The benefits of drinking tea are largely due to the flavonoids it contains - antioxidants, which are believed to be good for the heart.
The research leader, Professor Nicholas Danschen, said that previous studies showed opposite effects of tea and coffee on heart health.
"If you have a choice between tea or coffee, it is better to drink tea," he added..
The study involved 131 401 people aged 18 to 95 years with a low risk of cardiovascular disease who attended the Center for Preventive Medicine in Paris from January 2001 to December 2008. During this period, 95 deaths from cardiovascular disease and 632 cases in which the cause of death was not associated with heart disease.
The use of coffee or tea by the patients was assessed using a questionnaire. The researchers found that the risk of developing cardiovascular disease is 57% higher in those who drink four or more cups a day, while smoking. Non-drinkers were physically more active - 45% had a good level of physical activity compared to 41% among coffee mates.
This is a very important discovery, said yesterday at a meeting of the Society of European Cardiologists in Barcelona, ??Professor Danschen. Tea has a positive effect on blood pressure.
"In general, the results we have obtained indicate that the risk of heart disease in drinking coffee is higher than that of tea lovers. We also found great gender differences. Men tend to drink coffee much more women, while women tend to drink more tea than men. The fact that regular tea drinking reduces the risk of cardiovascular deaths was noted earlier, but the effect was not statistically significant after the adjustment for age, sex and smoking, "said Danshen.
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