 |
Article by: Rumer Certeza Photo: Corbis |
A 13-year old long study from the Netherlands suggests that drinking several cups of coffee and tea a day appears to protect against heart disease.
Those who consumed more than six cups of tea a day reduced risks of heart disease by a third, according to findings from a study of 40,000 people.
Equally beneficial, drinking between two to four coffees a day also lead to cutting risks of the said disease.
And despite the protective effect being limited to four cups of coffee a day, even those who went beyond that were still no more likely to die of any cause, including stroke and cancer than those who abstained.
With the Dutch, they're usually accustomed to drinking coffee with a small amount of milk and black tea without. Conflicting reports have surfaced however, that milk affects the polyphenols, believed to be the most beneficial substance found in tea.
And smokers, don't think you could get away combining your cigarettes with coffee, because this completely cancels any health benefits.
In recent theories, coffee has properties which simultaneously increases and reduces risks, potentially raising cholesterol while fighting the inflammatory damage related to heart disease.
But according to the study in the Journal of the American Heart Association, it reveals that those who drank between two and four cups a day reduced risks in heart disease by 20%.
Professor Yvonne van der Schouw, the lead researcher says that the drinks appear to offer benefits for the heart without increasing risk of dying from anything else.
Senior Cardiac Nurse at the British Heart Foundation, Ellen Mason, says, "This study adds further weight to the evidence that drinking tea and coffee in moderation is not harmful for most people, and may even lower your risk of developing or dying from heart disease."
She also adds however, that living a healthy lifestyle is the thing that really matters when it comes to keeping your heart in top condition.
