Drinking tea may help protect your heart, but there’s a surprising catch

Date: November 1, 2026 Source: Wiley Summary: A massive study of nearly 486,000 adults found that regularly drinking tea was associated with an 11% lower risk of heart and blood vessel diseases. The lowest risk was linked to drinking roughly six to eight cups per day, with black tea showing more consistent benefits than green tea. Share: Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIN Email FULL STORY A massive study links regular tea drinking to healthier hearts and blood vessels, but finds that drinking it burning hot may have the opposite effect. Credit: Shutterstock Drinking tea regularly may offer important benefits for your heart and blood vessels, according to a massive study involving nearly 500,000 adults. Researchers found that people who consumed tea regularly had a lower risk of developing several vascular diseases compared with those who did not drink tea. However, the findings also revealed some unexpected differences. The type of tea, how strong it was, and even the temperature at which it was consumed were all associated with vascular health. While certain tea drinking habits were linked to a lower risk of disease, drinking tea at extremely high temperatures appeared to have the opposite association. The research, published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, provides new insights into how an everyday beverage may be connected to long-term cardiovascular health. Nearly 500,000 Adults Reveal a Link Between Tea and Vascular Health The study included 485,934 adults in China who were followed for a median of 9.05 years. During that period, researchers recorded 14,863 cases involving several types of vascular disease. These conditions included cardiovascular disease, which affects the heart and blood vessels, and cerebrovascular disease, which involves blood vessels that supply the brain. The researchers also examined pulmonary heart disease, a condition in which problems involving the lungs or their blood vessels place strain on the heart, and peripheral artery disease, which occurs when arteries carrying blood to areas such as the legs become narrowed or blocked. Although these conditions affect different parts of the body, they share an important feature: they interfere with the circulation of blood, which delivers oxygen and nutrients to organs and tissues. When the researchers compared tea drinking habits with the incidence of these diseases, they found that regular tea consumption was associated with an 11% lower risk of the combined vascular outcomes. The relationship also appeared to vary with the amount consumed. Among people who drank tea at least weekly, the lowest estimated risk occurred at approximately six to eight cups per day.