Black Tea and Heart Disease Risk
Clinical Reviews
With Comments from Lynn Keegan, RN, PhD, HNC, FAAN
Black Tea and Heart Disease Risk
Source: Geleijnse JM, et al. Tea flavonoids may protect against atherosclerosis: The Rotterdam Study. Arch Intern Med 1999;159:2170-2174.
Context: Epidemiological studies have indicated a protective role of dietary flavonoids in cardiovascular disease, but evidence is still conflicting. Tea is the major dietary source for flavonoids in Western populations.
Objective: To evaluate the association of tea intake with aortic atherosclerosis in a general population.
Design and Setting: The present analysis formed part of the Rotterdam, Holland Study, a prospective study of men and women 55 years and older. Dietary intakes were assessed at baseline by a trained dietician who used a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Calcified plaques in the abdominal aorta were radiographically detected after two to three years of follow-up. Aortic atherosclerosis was classified as "mild," "moderate," or "severe," according to the length of the calcified area (< 1 cm, 1-5 cm, and > 5 cm, respectively). The association of tea intake with severity of aortic atherosclerosis was studied in 3,454 subjects who were free of cardiovascular disease at baseline. Data were analyzed by logistic regression, adjusting for age, sex, body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters), smoking, education, and intake of alcohol, coffee, vitamin antioxidants, total fat, and total energy.
Results: Multivariable analyses showed a significant, inverse association of tea intake with severe aortic atherosclerosis. Odds ratios decreased from 0.54 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.32-0.92) for drinking 125-250 ml (1-2 cups/d) of tea to 0.31 (CI, 0.16-0.59) for drinking more than 500 ml/d (4 cups/d). The associations were stronger in women than in men. The association of tea intake with mild and moderate atherosclerosis was not statistically significant.
Conclusion: This study indicates a protective effect of tea drinking against ischemic heart disease.
Comments: This study is good news to black tea drinkers. According to the study, people who drank one or more cups of tea/d had a 46% lower risk of developing severe heart disease, and the risk was reduced by 69% for those who drank four or more cups/d. Most tea studies have focused on the health benefits of green tea, so this was a refreshing study since black tea, both iced and hot, is the beverage most commonly consumed by Americans. The results of this study are in line with other studies demonstrating the health protective effects of flavonoids (antioxidant plant compounds).
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