During the ESC Congress, French Professor Nicolas Danchin revealed the results of their few years' study on the effects of tea and coffee in mortality: tea can actually decrease the risk to non-CV death by as much as 24%.
According to Professor Danchin, the study was conducted on more than 130,000 men and women from 18 to 95 years old who went to IPC Preventive Medicine Center in Paris from 2001 to 2008. After a few years of follow-up, they presented a self-administered list of questions to the remaining subjects (so far, over 600 people had already died from non-CV cases while about 95 from cardiovascular diseases).
The questionnaire aimed to assess their coffee- and tea-drinking habits between 0 and 4 cups on a daily basis. Upon analysis of the results, coffee drinkers are more than likely to develop or be at risk of cardiovascular disorders. Those who drink tea, meanwhile, are also more active than coffee drinkers. Danchin, however, noted that while drinking coffee boosted mortality from non-CV cases, the risk diminishes once smoking is considered. In the study, there were also many smokers who also like to drink coffee a lot of times in a day.
Nevertheless, tea has other advantages. For example, the study also showed that drinking tea can reduce blood pressure, age of the subjects considered. It also brings down non-CV deaths to 24%.
Tea has been subjected to intense scrutiny and research over many years. In fact, according to senior researcher Dr. John Weisburger of New York's Institute of Cancer Prevention, there are already over 500 papers about tea. Teas, however, are not created equally. Green and black teas from Camellia sinensis are excellent for detoxification as they contain high levels of antioxidants known as polyphenols that hunt free radicals. They are also rich in flavonoids that promote healthier blood vessels and reduce inflammation.