Drinking tea for decades is the best drink to protect your heart, experts say

DRINKING tea for decades is better for protecting your heart, experts say.

Of the six popular drinks, including coffee, booze, soda, energy drinks and fruit juices, tea appeared as an asset due to its health benefits.

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It’s refreshing news for thirsty Brits who drink around 100 million cups of the stuff every day.

New South University Review Wales in Australia found that adults with high long-term tea consumption have a 19% lower than average risk of dying from heart disease.

Coffee also reduced heart risk, but only for men, while soft drinks and alcohol increased the danger.

Carrie Ruxton, nutritionist at the Tea Advisory Panel, said: “The results of this new super study show that tea is the best at protecting our hearts.

“It’s encouraging for our nation of tea drinkers to know we’re doing our hearts a lot of good.”

The research, published in the journal Current Developments in Nutrition, reviewed 20 previous studies on the link between heart disease and long-term consumption of popular beverages.

The tea was the only one to bring consistent health benefits to both sexes.

Studies regularly find that the health-boosting polyphenols in tea leaves have a range of benefits.

They function as antioxidants, eliminating harmful molecules from the blood, preventing cellular damage, reducing stress and improving metabolism.

The builders’ drink is also said to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer, as well as helping with weight loss.

Dr Ruxton added: “This research is particularly important because it considers our spending habits beyond a single snapshot in time.

“Each extra daily mug of tea was found to reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 4% and shows the benefits of starting a long-term tea drinking habit, from early adulthood or even childhood.”