New research shows that drinking eight cups of tea a day can lower blood pressure and could prevent heart disease.
The research, carried out by the University of Australia, is to be published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
During the trial olunteers with normal to high blood pressure were given three drinks a day containing 429 milligrams of the plant chemicals polyphenols – equivalent to eight cups of teas a day. A second group were given a tea-flavoured placebo. After six months, the blood pressure of the tea-drinking group had fallen significantly.
Lead researcher, professor Jonathan Hodgson, wrote: “Our study has demonstrated for the first time to our knowledge that long-term regular consumption of black tea can result in significantly lower blood pressures in individuals with normal to high-normal range blood pressures,” the team, led by Dr Jonathan Hodgson, wrote in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.”
