Not All Tea Habits Are Heart-Healthy; Study Explores How Tea Consumption Affects Heart Health

Could the way you drink your daily cup of tea influence your risk of heart disease and stroke? A new study suggests that regular tea consumption may be associated with better cardiovascular health, but drinking tea at extremely high temperatures could increase the risk of vascular diseases.

Published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, the study analysed data from more than 485,000 Chinese adults aged 30 to 79 years, examining how tea-drinking frequency, type, strength and temperature were associated with cardiovascular disease risk.

Participants were followed for approximately nine years, during which researchers recorded more than 14,800 cases of vascular diseases, including heart attacks, strokes and peripheral artery disease.

The findings revealed that individuals who consumed tea at least three days per week had approximately 11% lower risk of developing vascular disease compared with those who drank tea less frequently.

Interestingly, moderate-strength tea was associated with lower cardiovascular risk, while black tea demonstrated more consistent associations with reduced risk across several vascular conditions than green tea.

However, drinking tea at extremely high temperatures showed the opposite pattern. Participants who regularly consumed "burning hot" tea had a 16% higher risk of vascular disease compared with those who did not regularly drink tea.

Researchers suggested that tea's potential cardiovascular benefits may be linked to polyphenols and flavonoids, natural compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that may support blood vessel function.

The analysis also suggested that cardiovascular risk was lowest among some participants consuming approximately six to eight cups daily, although researchers cautioned against interpreting this as a recommended intake.

Importantly, the observational study cannot establish causation, and tea temperature and consumption habits were self-reported.

Experts emphasised that drinking unsweetened tea at comfortable temperatures may be a reasonable part of a heart-healthy lifestyle, while excessive caffeine intake should be avoided.

REFERENCE: Ye Z, Wang Y, Qu Y, Chen M, Fan J, Zhu HE, et al. Habitual tea consumption is associated with lower cardiovascular disease risk. J Intern Med. 2026;e70172.