More Black Tea Lowers Blood Pressure

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Academic Journal
Main Category: Cardiovascular / Cardiology
Also Included In: Nutrition / Diet
Article Date: 26 Jan 2012 - 14:00 PST

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Tea, the second most consumed drink after water, may help lower blood pressure. Scientists at The University Of Western Australia and Unilever, state in Archives of Internal Medicine, that drinking black tea three times a day may drastically lower a person's systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Leading the research, Jonathan Hodgson, professor at UWA's School Of Medicine and Pharmacology says:

There is already mounting evidence that tea is good for your heart health, but this is an important discovery, because it demonstrates a link between tea and a major risk factor for heart disease.

During their study, the researchers examined 95 Australians, ages 35 to 75. A portion of the participants were asked to drink black tea, three times daily, while the others were given a placebo that tasted identical and contained the same caffeine content, but did not originate from tea.



Black tea appears to have cardiovascular benefits


Six months later, the researchers examined the findings. They concluded that the people who drank the black tea were found to have lower 24-hour systolic and diastolic blood pressure; between 2 and 3 mmHg lower.

Professor Hodgson states

Blood pressure measurement consists of two numbers. The First is the systolic and measures blood pressure when the heart beats, or contracts to push blood through the body. The second number is the diastolic and measures the amount of pressure in between beats when the person is at rest.

Hodgson also says:

More research is required to better understand how tea may reduce blood pressure, although earlier studies reported a link between tea drinking and the improved health of people's blood vessels.

Written By Christine Kearney
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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