Can drinking tea help protect against cardiovascular disease?

by Wiley

edited by Sadie Harley, reviewed by Andrew Zinin

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In a Journal of Internal Medicine study, people who drank tea had a lower risk of vascular disease than non-tea drinkers.

Among 485,934 adults in China followed for a median of 9.05 years, there were 14,863 cases of cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, pulmonary heart disease and peripheral artery disease. Regular tea consumption was linked with an 11% lower risk of experiencing these outcomes. The lowest risk was estimated at approximately 6–8 cups per day among weekly drinkers.

Black tea showed more consistent inverse associations with vascular disease than green tea. Regarding strength, moderate-strength tea was associated with the lowest risk. "Burning hot" tea was associated with an elevated risk of vascular disease.

"Joint analyses showed that tea consumption, smoking status and physical activity were collectively associated with vascular risk, with the favorable combination of habitual tea consumption, noncurrent smoking and high physical activity associated with the lowest risk," the authors wrote.

Publication details

Habitual tea consumption is associated with lower cardiovascular disease risk, Journal of Internal Medicine (2026). DOI: 10.1111/joim.70172

Journal information: Journal of Internal Medicine

Key medical concepts

Cardiovascular DiseasesCerebrovascular DisordersPulmonary Heart DiseasePeripheral Arterial Disease

Clinical categories

CardiologyPreventive medicineNutrition & Healthy eatingHealthy livingCommon illnesses & Prevention Provided by Wiley Who's behind this story?

Sadie Harley

BSc Life Sciences & Ecology. Microbiology lab background with pharmaceutical news experience in oil, gas, and renewable industries. Full profile →

Andrew Zinin

Master's in physics with research experience. Long-time science news enthusiast. Plays key role in Science X's editorial success. Full profile →

Citation: Can drinking tea help protect against cardiovascular disease? (2026, October 21) retrieved 23 October 2026 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-tea-cardiovascular-disease.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.