A recent study has found that the average life expectancy of people who drink tea three times a week is more than 1.26 years, compared to people who rarely drink tea.

In this report, published by the Spanish newspaper "El Pais", writer Agathe Cortes said that cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the world, according to the World Health Organization, which leads to about 31% of recorded deaths. In China, the main deaths were from stroke and coronary heart disease.

Researchers from different Chinese institutions analyzed the properties and health benefits of tea, and they concluded that drinking this drink regularly, especially green tea, reduces deaths from these diseases and the risks of exposure to them.

The study was published in the European Journal of Preventive Heart Disease, and the scientists used data related to about one hundred thousand people and 902 Chinese adults, 31.6% of whom drink tea at least three times a week.

The conclusions concluded that over more than seven years of follow-up, the number of heart and vascular disease episodes associated with atherosclerosis was lower for people who drank tea, and mortality decreased by an average of 30%.

Green tea
"The risk of cardiovascular disease decreases by 39%, if this habit lasts for at least eight years," the author quoted a study coordinator and researcher with the Epidemiology Department of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Dongfeng Gu, as saying.

According to the results of the study, the effects were more pronounced with green tea, although the percentage of consumers who used to drink black tea was relatively small, that is, in the range of 8%.

It should be noted that black tea undergoes aeration process, therefore, the polyphenols it contains are oxidized, decomposed and lose their activity. Thus, green tea tends to be the best alternative thanks to its ability to slow cardiovascular and degenerative neurological diseases (diseases causing impotence and cell death).

The author explained that the scientist at the Institute for Catalysis and Petrochemicals of the Supreme Council for Scientific Research, Francisco C. Blu believes that this study is comprehensive and complete, but there is something that surprised him, saying, "What caught my eye in this work, is that the person who drinks tea three times a week is an ordinary consumer."

"A cup of green tea contains about eighty milligrams of flavonoids, which means that the average consumer, according to the study, drinks about 240 milligrams per week of these antioxidant compounds."

From China to the West
The author writes that the Chinese expert Dongfeng believes that the benefits of green tea to the Asian population differ from the West, as Westerners often drink tea with the addition of sugar or milk, which may lead to a loss of health effects of the tea.

"Other foods or drinks that contain similar ingredients, such as peppers, onions, and berries, for example, can also be healthy options," the study coordinator adds.

The author stated that the flavonoid in tea protects against infections and reduces oxidative stress in the body.