Drink Tea to Avoid Heart Disease
You May Want to Skip The Milk If You Want the Benefits
Jan 10, 2007
A new German study, published in the European Heart Journal, reports another advantage of Black Tea - consumed without milk, it prevents cardiovascular disease. It is believed that certain proteins in milk counteract black tea's heart healthy benefits.
The study followed 16 post-menopausal healthy women. The women all consumed a croissant and drank either black tea, black tea with 10% skim milk, or boiled water.
Researchers measured the women's flow-mediated dilation (FMD) - the process of blood vessels relaxing if the blood flow increases. It is believed that the higher the FMD the healthier the artery.
FMD levels were measured with ultrasound before the tea or water was consumed and a various intervals afterwards. The study concluded, "Black tea significantly improved the FMD in humans compared with water, whereas the addition of milk completely blunted the effects of tea."
A study published in 2003 in the Journal of Nutrition also supported drinking black tea to keep heart disease at bay. The study measured cholesterol levels of people consuming five cups of black tea for three weeks, in the second phase of the study, subjects were given a placebo designed to taste like tea with no caffeine. The third phase added caffeine to mimic the level in black tea.
The results were substantial. Black tea reduced the total cholesterol by 4 % and the LDL, or bad cholesterol by 8%. Doctors believe that a 1% reduction in LDL translates to a 2% in reduction of risk of heart disease.
