Tea consumption is inversely associated with blood pressure in older women:
Hodgson JM, Devine A, Puddey IB, Chan SY, Beilin LJ, Prince RL.
Tea intake is inversely related to blood pressure in older women.
J Nutr. 2003 Sep;133(9):2883-6.
PMID: 12949382 [PubMed - in process]
http://www.nutrition.org/cgi/content/abstract/133/9/2883
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12949382&dopt=Abstract>
Abstract:
"Tea is rich in polyphenols, which have activities consistent with
blood pressure-lowering potential. The effects of long-term regular
ingestion of tea on blood pressure remain uncertain. We investigated
the relationships of tea intake and a biomarker of exposure to tea-
derived polyphenols (4-O-methylgallic acid) with blood pressure in a
cross-sectional study of 218 women > 70 y old. Clinic blood
pressures were measured and tea intake was assessed using a 24-h
dietary recall; 4-O-methylgallic acid was measured for the same
period in a 24-h urine sample. Mean (95% CI) daily tea intake was
525 (475, 600) mL. Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures were
138.1 (135.6, 140.6) and 73.5 (72.1, 74.9) mm Hg. Higher tea intake
and higher 4-O-methylgallic acid excretion were associated with
significantly lower systolic (P = 0.002 and P = 0.040, respectively)
and diastolic (P = 0.027 and P < 0.001, respectively) blood
pressures. A 250 mL/d (1 cup) increase in tea intake was associated
with a 2.2 (0.8, 3.6) mm Hg lower systolic blood pressure and a 0.9
(0.1, 1.7) mm Hg lower diastolic blood pressure. The observed
associations for both tea intake and 4-O-methylgallic acid are
consistent with the hypothesis that long-term regular ingestion of
tea may have a favorable effect on blood pressure in older women."
--
Matti Narkia