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'Drink tea to reduce blood pressure', scientists say
January 26, 2012
An Australian study has found that drinking tea may help to combat high blood pressure.
People with high blood pressure may benefit from drinking black tea three times a day, researchers have found.
According to scientists at the University of Western Australia, the practice is associated with a reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
The researchers studied 95 people, aged 35 to 75, who drank three cups of tea or an alternative beverage each day for six months.
By the end of the study period, those who had consumed tea showed a significant reduction in their blood pressure readings.
Professor Jonathan Hodgson, who authored the study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, said: "This is an important discovery because it demonstrates a link between tea and a major risk factor for heart disease."
The British Heart Foundation's Tracy Parker said that more research is needed to understand the link, and that drinking tea "won't cancel out a poor diet or lifestyle".
She also noted that cutting down on salt and alcohol intake, eating more fruit and vegetables, and keeping fit are all "well established ways of lowering your blood pressure".
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