Not all tea drinking habits were associated with the same health benefits. Researchers found that the type of tea, its strength and its temperature were linked to notable differences in the risk of vascular disease.
People who regularly drank tea had a lower risk of diseases affecting the heart and blood vessels, according to a large study from China. However, the trend varied depending on the type, strength and temperature of tea, with “hot” tea being associated with high risk.
The study, published in the Journal of Internal Medicinefollowed 485,934 adults for a median duration of 9.05 years. The researchers recorded 14,863 cases of cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, pulmonary heart disease and peripheral arterial disease. These conditions involve the heart and circulation, including blood vessels in the brain, heart problems related to lung disease, and reduced blood flow in the arteries supplying the limbs. Regular tea drinking was associated with an 11% lower risk of these outcomes compared to not drinking tea.
Tea consumption was also considered alongside smoking and physical activity, providing context for how it fits into a broader pattern of habits.
“Joint analyzes showed that tea drinking, smoking, and physical activity were collectively associated with vascular risk, with the favorable combination of habitual tea drinking, occasional smoking, and high physical activity being associated with the lowest risk,” the authors wrote.
The type of tea, its strength and temperature matter
Among weekly tea drinkers, the lowest risk was estimated at around 6 to 8 cups per day. Black tea showed more consistent associations with lower vascular disease risk than green tea, while moderate-strength tea was associated with the lowest risk. These findings describe associations, rather than establishing that a particular amount or preparation of tea prevents disease.
The high risk associated with “burning” tea contrasts with the lower risk associated with regular tea consumption in general. Temperature is therefore important when interpreting results, but the reported results do not explain why very hot tea was associated with higher risk or establish that the heat itself caused this increase.
Reference: “Habitual tea consumption is associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease” by Zichen Ye, Yawen Wang, Yimin Qu, Manman Chen, Jinming Fan, He Zhu, Keyu Han, Yuankai Zhao, Jiahui Wang, Qu Lu, Dianjianyi Sun, Canqing Yu, Jun Lv, Yu Guo, Yu Jiang, Liming Li and , October 21, 2026, Journal of Internal Medicine.
DOI: 10.1111/joim.70172
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