BRITS will be happy to hear that drinking tea reduces the risk of dying early by a quarter, according to new research.
The study shows that the risk of dying from causes unrelated to the heart by 24% compared with those who do not drink tea.
The benefits of tea, according to scientists at the European Society for Cardiology meeting in Barcelona, are largely due to its flavonoid content, antioxidant ingredients that are believed to be beneficial for the heart.
Professor Nicolas Danchin, who led the research, said: “If you have to choose between tea or coffee it’s probably better to drink tea.”
The study included 131,401 people aged 18 to 95, between January 2001 and December 2008.
Tea had a significant effect on blood pressure, with a large reduction in the heavy tea drinkers compared with non-drinkers.
The research also discovered that coffee drinkers also tend to be more unhealthy in general and are more likely to smoke, with 57% of those drinking more than four cups a day being smokers.
Non-coffee drinkers were more physically active, with 45% having a good level of fitness compared with 41% of coffee drinkers.
