Whether you start the day with matcha or wind down at night with chamomile, tea is part of many daily routines. Even better, research suggests it may also help support heart health. Still, the type of tea you choose, when you drink it and how much you sip can all matter. So what is the healthiest way to drink tea? We asked the experts.
Why healthy blood vessels matter for heart health
“If you think of the veins and arteries as expressways or rivers, when there are traffic jams, road construction or dam breaks, trouble ensues,” says William Shutze, MD, vice president of the Society for Vascular Surgery and a vascular surgeon at Texas Vascular Associates. “Undiagnosed or untreated vascular disease can lead to life-threatening or life-changing consequences, like heart attack, stroke, pulmonary embolism or even limb loss. In most cases, vascular conditions are highly treatable, often without surgery if treated by a vascular surgeon.”
When the vascular system is not working properly, vascular disease can develop. “Vascular disease is an umbrella of conditions that affect the vascular system by slowing circulation and impacting the way the body functions,” Dr. Shutze explains. “Up to 40 million Americans have a vascular disease, yet many have never heard of common conditions like peripheral artery disease (PAD), carotid artery disease (CAD) and abdominal aortic aneurysm.”
“Vascular disease is most often caused by a buildup of plaque, cholesterol or other substances in the blood vessels, which can narrow or block blood flow,” he says. Factors that can raise the risk include:
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Smoking
- High blood pressure or cholesterol
- Aging
What are your favorite kinds of tea?
What newer research says about tea and heart health
In a Journal of Internal Medicine study, researchers followed nearly 486,000 adults in China for an average of nine years. They found that people who regularly drank tea had an 11 percent lower risk of vascular disease than those who did not. The study also found that drinking six to eight cups of tea a day was linked with the lowest vascular disease risk among weekly tea drinkers. Black tea also showed a more consistent association with lower vascular disease risk than green tea. More on that later.
What may explain the results? “Tea is made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant,” says Erin Duffy Stokes, ND. “Tea leaves contain a high amount of polyphenols, mainly flavonoids, with one of the most prevalent being catechins. It is widely recognized that catechins are supportive of vascular health.”
“Another explanation could be that habitual tea drinkers may have overall healthier habits such as being more active or making more balanced plate decisions for meals,” adds Leah Murnane, MS, RD, CSSD, LDN, owner of Lettuce Eat Dessert. “These behaviors lead to better heart health.”
The healthiest ways to drink tea: 4 expert tips
If you want to turn your tea habit into a stronger supporter of vascular health, here is the best advice from experts:
1. Drink the right amount of tea
Do you need six to eight cups a day to get the benefits seen in the study? Not necessarily. “Although the highest benefit was shown with the highest amount of tea intake, you can still benefit from two to three cups of black or green tea each day,” Stokes says.
2. Choose this type
Both black and green tea were associated with a lower risk of vascular disease, but black tea showed that link across more kinds of blood vessel disease, Dr. Shutze says. “Black tea leaves are left to darken in the air before drying, which creates different natural substances that may affect blood vessels in their own way.” Even so, he notes that more research is needed before recommending one over the other, so both are fine choices.
3. Pick the right temperature
If you usually heat water for tea without paying attention to temperature, it may be worth adjusting that habit. Stokes says drinking tea at a non-scalding temperature was one of the habits associated with a lower risk of vascular disease. The best steeping temperature depends on the tea. “Green tea, in particular, is sensitive to being steeped in boiling water and is actually best steeped in 160 to 185 degrees, while black tea can tolerate near boiling (around 200 degrees),” she says. “Be sure to let both green and black tea cool slightly before consuming.”
4. Steep it the right way
It is easy to drop a tea bag into a mug and forget about it, but steeping time matters. “Remember not to oversteep your tea—longer is not better here,” Stokes says. “If you steep your tea beyond the recommended two to three minutes for green tea and three to four minutes for black tea, it can actually degrade the beneficial compounds found in the tea leaves.”
The bottom line on drinking tea for heart health
Tea drinkers can appreciate that a warm cup of tea may do more than comfort you. If you want your next cup to support your health too, consider following these expert tips. Your heart will thank you.
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