How to live longer: A drink linked to 25 percent lower risk of heart disease and stroke

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In order to live longer, it would be beneficial to reduce your risk of a stroke and heart disease – two of the biggest killers of Britons. A research study – published in the European Society of Cardiology – shed some light on a life-saving beverage. According to the researchers, one drink was associated with a 25 percent lower risk of heart disease and stroke incident.

What’s this powerful, health-boosting drink? The answer is green tea.

Senior author, Dr Dongfeng Gu, said: “The protective effects of tea were most pronounced among the consistent habitual tea drinking group.”

For the study, the health of 100,902 participants was analysed.

All participants had no history of heart attack, stroke, or cancer.

They were grouped into two categories: habitual tea drinkers and non-habitual tea drinkers.

To be classified as habitual tea drinkers, the volunteers had to report that they drank tea three or more times per week.

The non-habitual tea drinkers would consume tea less than this.

During the seven-year follow-up period, habitual tea drinkers were associated with longer life expectancy.

To illustrate, the researchers stated that a 50-year-old habitual tea drinker would develop heart disease nearly two years later than a non-habitual tea drinker.

This figure was the same for a person’s stroke risk, meaning habitual tea drinkers had nearly two extra years of life.

Dr Xinyan Wang – another author of the study – discussed the results.

“Habitual tea consumption is associated with lower risks of cardiovascular disease and all-cause death.

“The favourable health effects are the most robust for green tea and for long-term habitual tea drinkers.”

Tea is said to have cardiovascular protective effects thanks to its polyphenol content.

However, the bioactive compound is thought to not be stored in the body long-term.

Thus it’s important to keep drinking tea to gain the health benefits.

“Frequent tea intake over an extended period may be necessary for the cardioprotective effect,” Dr Gu emphasised.

Serving tea with milk has been shown to “counteract the favourable health effects of tea on vascular function”.

Thus, if you would like to improve your chances of longevity, you may have to forgo a builder’s brew.

Instead, it may be helpful to get into the habit of drinking green tea.

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