Scientists in Holland report that moderate intake of tea and coffee lowers heart disease risk.
They reported that tea was more effective than coffee in this regard. People who drank three to six cups of tea every day were 45% lower risk of heart disease compared to people who drank one cup or less and those who consumed more than six cups — had a 36% lower risk. The size of the sample was more than 37,000 people over 11 years.
Coffee drinkers, consuming 2-4 cups of coffee daily had a 20% lower risk. One factor as to why this risk level was not as good for coffee drinks may be that coffee drinkers are more likely to smoke than are tea drinkers.
Published: Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology: Journal of the American Heart Association, 2010
Editor’s Note: We do not recommend drinking large amounts of coffee for a number of reasons including: 1) coffee is a diuretic which results in excess urination and therefore loss of nutrients, 2) coffee generates heat in the body so can contribute to heat related health conditions (glaucoma, palpitations, migraines, etc.), 2) coffee and dark tea is acidic. Excess acidity in the body can lead to excess inflammation, so is bad for people with inflammatory diseases.
Learn more about information on nutrition and heart disease.