Break out the tea trolley and fire up the kettle - a new study has revealed that tea and coffee drinkers have lower blood pressure than people who don't drink the beverages at all. Those who drink around four cups a day also have lower heart rates.
Although there was no distinction made between herbal and caffeinated teas, coffee was included in the study by the Preventive and Clinical Investigations Centre in Paris.
High blood pressure is a major concern for the middle aged and over 65s, as it increases the risk of heart disease, strokes and other conditions. In England, 32% of men are being treated for high blood pressure, and 29% of women.
The NHS advises that to reduce high blood pressure, you should drink no more than four cups a day due to the caffeine present in these drinks, but the study challenges that advice. The blood pressure of almost 200,000 men and women in France was measured, and the age range was between 16 to 95.
HAVE A CUPPA:
- Tea contains fluoride, which is good for the teeth
- Tea also has antioxidants, which are great for fighting free radicals (toxins)
- The caffeine in coffee aids a workout as it raises the metabolic rate
- Coffee actually has B vitamins and minerals
Those who drank tea and coffee often had better health. The participants were divided into three groups - one had no coffee and tea, another drank no more than four cups and the third had more than four cups.
According to Medical Daily, results revealed heavy tea drinkers benefited the most and had the lowest systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings, as well as the lowest pulse pressure and heart rate.
What this may mean, researchers say, is that the flavonoids found in tea could help relax blood vessels, which decreases blood pressure and calms the nervous system.
This isn't the first time tea's health benefits have been touted so highly - the BBC published a story about how drinking two or three cups a day was healthier than drinking water.
Dr. Bruno Pannier from the Preventative and Clinical Investigations Center presented the study's findings to the European Society of Hypertension in Milan and said more research needs to be done to explain the benefits and negatives of tea and coffee drinking.
Some unique ideas for tea from HuffPost US: