How Drinking Green Tea Can Help You Live Longer

According to a new study from China, drinking tea at least three times a week can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Not only that, but the health benefits of green tea especially have been shown to lead to people living longer and healthier lives. 

While the research pool did come from China, meaning the subjects studied were only those in a Chinese demographic, the results seem fairly universal based on one’s tea drinking habits. The researchers also looked at data from over 100,000 individuals so that their results were as conclusive as possible. 

All the individuals studied had no previous history of heart disease, stroke, or cancer. Scientists then grouped the subjects into three categories: habitual drinkers who drank tea at least three times a week, infrequent drinkers who drank it less regularly, and those who never drank tea. The study then involved following these individuals and their health for seven full years. 

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“[Our] analysis found that regular tea drinkers had a 20% lower risk of having heart disease and stroke, and a 22% lower risk of dying from heart disease and stroke. Specifically, we found that regular tea drinkers could expect to live 1.26 years longer at age 50 than those who did not regularly enjoy a cup of tea,” said  Dr. Dongfeng Gu from China’s National Center for Cardiovascular Disease in an interview with CNN.

The results also showed that these results were more common in the male subjects as opposed to the female ones, however, Dr. Gu stated that the “proportion of habitual tea consumers among men was two and half times as high as that among women.” Half of the male subjects in the study were in the habitual drinker category compared to only 20% of the female subjects. 

Obviously, tea is not the sole reasoning behind some of the subjects healthier outcomes at the end of the study, however, it’s important to mention that Gu and his team of researchers did control some factors such as smoking, drinking, diet, and exercise. But as Gu states “as an observational study it can’t establish cause and effect, only association.”

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While green tea wasn’t the only type of tea that the subjects were allowed to have, it was the most popular and did give the researchers some insight into its specific benefits. Green tea is extremely rich in something called “flavonoids”. According to the research, these are bioactive compounds within the herbs themselves that Gu and his team believe could be the key in helping protect the body against cardiovascular disease. Gu also went on to mention that while tea itself may not be the sole reason for a healthy result, the information they gained regarding flavonoids and their specific benefits is helpful.

Also, according to manyeats.com, “green tea leaves can have 20-35% polyphenols before brewing, depending on the tea’s quality, growth location, and processing method. Typically, matcha is a more significant source of polyphenols than regular green tea.”

“This study strengthens the body of evidence that habitual tea drinking is associated with lower rates of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, though it cannot prove that it’s definitely the tea that’s responsible. However a body of evidence in nutrition suggests that whole diet patterns are more informative of diet-disease relationships than any isolated food or nutrient,” said Dr. Jenna Macciochi, a lecturer in immunology at the University of Sussex.

While the results may not be directly conclusive, the fact that we now at least know tea has health benefits, as opposed to no nutritional value whatsoever, is beneficial for those who are looking to change their diet and lifestyle to combat certain health risks they may be facing.