NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who drink tea may be protecting
themselves from a build-up of artery-clogging plaque, so lowering their risk for
heart disease and stroke, findings from a French study suggest.
Dr. Mahmoud Zureik and colleagues found that older women who reported drinking
at least three cups of tea a day were less likely to have plaque in the carotid
arteries in their neck than those drinking less tea.
The investigators, all with INSERM, France's national institute for medical
research, report their findings in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and
Vascular Biology.
Zureik's team analyzed ultrasound measures of carotid artery plaque among 2,613
men and 3,984 women, aged about 73 years old on average, in relation to tea
drinking and other dietary habits, and medical and personal history obtained
during in-person interviews conducted from 1999 to 2001.
Carotid plaques were evident in 44 percent of female non-tea-drinkers, in 42.5
percent of women who reported drinking 1 to 2 cups of tea daily, and in only
33.7 percent of those who reported drinking 3 or more cups per day.
The association between fewer instances of carotid plaques and increased daily
tea consumption was independent of other dietary habits, major vascular risk
factors, age, area of residence, and education, the investigators note.
"There was no association of tea consumption with carotid plaques in men," the
team found.
The investigators did not gather data on the types of tea consumed or the
duration of tea drinking among participants, and they are unclear why the
association occurred among women and not men.
SOURCE: Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, February 2008.
