Tea Linked To Heart Attack Survival
Greatest Benefits Found In Those With Cardiovascular Disease
Heavy tea drinking could reduce the risk of dying after a heart attack, according to a new study.
Those who drank the most tea before the heart attack were 44 percent less likely than nondrinkers to die up to four years later, according to the results of a study published in the journal Circulation. The greatest tea drinkers had about 19 cups a week.
Researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston studied 1,900 heart attack victims. They looked at deaths from all causes, not just heart disease. Moderate drinkers, who had fewer than 14 cups, had a 28 percent lower death rate.
Several studies have found regular tea drinkers have a lower risk of heart attack, though it remains unclear why. One expert who was not involved in the study says other aspects of the participants' diets might account for the results.
"The greatest benefits of tea consumption have been found among patients who already have cardiovascular disease," said Dr. Kenneth Mukamal, the study's lead author.
The key to this protection appears to lie with a group of antioxidants known as flavonoids, which are plentiful in both black and green tea. Flavonoids, which are also found in certain fruits and vegetables, including apples, onions and broccoli, could be working to help the heart in one of several ways, Mukamal said.
As is the case with any observational study, he said, these findings could be accounted for by differences in lifestyle other tea drinking.
"One of the biggest potential criticisms of this study is that people who drink tea might be expected to live healthier lifestyles than people who don't drink tea," he said. "But among this particular group -- people mainly in their 60s who had suffered heart attacks -- tea consumption was not strongly related to lifestyle."
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