Health · Medical Research · 4 hrs ago
Study links regular tea drinking with lower risk of vascular disease
A study followed nearly 500,000 adults in China for about nine years to examine tea drinking and diseases affecting the heart and blood vessels.
People who drank tea at least three days a week had about 11% lower vascular disease risk than those who drank it less often.
The study also linked moderate-strength tea with lower risk, while scalding-hot tea was linked to 16% higher risk than not regularly drinking tea.
The findings on tea type differ: one account says green tea had a stronger protective association, while another says black tea was linked to lower risk across more kinds of cardiovascular disease.
Tea contains compounds that may support blood vessel health, but the study found associations, not proof of cause and effect.
People reported how hot they drank their tea, and researchers could not fully account for all lifestyle differences.
The findings do not amount to a dietary recommendation, but suggest that tea strength and drinking temperature may matter.
A study of nearly 500,000 adults in China linked regular tea drinking with a lower risk of vascular disease.
People who drank tea at least three days a week had about an 11% lower risk than those who drank it less often, according to the CNN report.
Drinking tea described as “burning hot” was associated with a higher risk, while moderate-strength tea was linked to lower risk.
The reports differ on which tea type showed the greater protective association: CNN says black tea was linked to lower risks across more disease types, while n-tv says green tea’s protective effect was greater.
The findings show statistical associations and do not establish that tea drinking caused the differences in risk.
- Who
- Researchers analyzed data from nearly 500,000 adults in China, ages 30 to 79.
- What
- The study found regular tea drinking was associated with lower vascular disease risk, while “burning hot” tea was associated with higher risk.
- When
- The study was published on Wednesday; the reports were published on October 21, 2026.
- Where
- China.
- Why
- The study examined links between tea-drinking habits and vascular disease risk. It does not establish that tea caused the differences.
CNN report
n-tv report
Tea type
CNN report
Black tea was linked to lower risks across more types of cardiovascular disease than green tea, according to Dr. Leana Wen.
n-tv report
Green tea’s protective effect was described as significantly greater than black tea’s.
Researchers followed participants for an average of about nine years, during which they recorded more than 14,800 vascular disease cases.
The study was published in the Journal of Internal Medicine.
CNN and n-tv published reports on the study.
- Participants
- Nearly 500,000 adults in China
- Age range
- 30 to 79
- Follow-up
- About nine years on average, according to CNN
- Recorded cases
- More than 14,800 vascular disease cases, according to CNN
- Regular tea drinking
- About 11% lower vascular disease risk for those drinking tea at least three days a week
- Hot tea
- Burning hot” tea associated with 16% higher risk, according to CNN
3 sources
What people are saying
people who drank tea at least three days a week had a roughly 11% lower risk of developing vascular disease compared with those who drank it less frequently.
people who reported drinking their tea at a “burning hot” temperature had a 16% higher risk of vascular disease compared with those who did not regularly drink tea.
The analyses showed that tea consumption, smoking status and physical activity are associated with vascular risk, with the favorable combination of regular tea consumption, not smoking and high physical activity linked to the lowest risk.