Tea May Help Your Heart—But Temperature Could Matter
Many people know tea is good for health, but a large study of more than 485,000 adults in China suggests that how hot you drink your tea may be linked to cardiovascular health. Regular tea drinkers had a lower risk of vascular disease, yet those who preferred "burning hot" tea had a higher risk instead.
What Did the Study Find?
Published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, the study followed adults ages 30 to 79 for about nine years and recorded more than 14,800 cases of vascular disease, including heart attacks, strokes and peripheral artery disease. Key findings include:
- People who drank tea at least three days a week had about an 11% lower risk of vascular disease than those who drank it less often.
- Those who reported drinking "burning hot" tea had a 16% higher risk than people who did not regularly drink tea.
- Drinking tea at room temperature or at a hot but comfortable temperature was associated with a lower risk than not drinking tea regularly.
Importantly, this is an observational association study—it does not prove that temperature itself causes or prevents disease. The research relied on participants' self-reported tea habits, and other lifestyle differences may have influenced the results.
How Hot Is Too Hot?
The study did not set an exact temperature threshold, but the self-reported "burning hot" category was linked to higher vascular disease risk. In contrast, room-temperature or comfortably warm tea was associated with lower risk. The takeaway: let your tea cool a little before sipping—you can keep the habit while potentially reducing risk.
Black Tea or Green Tea—Which Is Better?
The study also compared tea types:
- People who drank moderate-strength tea had a lower risk of vascular disease than those who did not drink tea regularly.
- Compared with green tea, black tea was associated with lower risk across more types of vascular disease.
Tea contains natural compounds called polyphenols, including flavonoids, which researchers have studied for their potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. However, the study did not establish whether these compounds explained the differences in risk.
How Much Tea Should You Drink?
Among people who drank tea at least once a week, those who drank about six to eight cups a day had the lowest estimated risk. But the researchers caution this does not mean people should start drinking six to eight cups daily—the study did not determine how much tea is needed to prevent disease, and the findings were based on self-reported habits.
Practical Tips for Tea Lovers
- Keep a regular tea habit, but avoid "burning hot" sips.
- Choose comfortably warm tea rather than freshly boiled tea.
- Black or green tea are both fine—overall lifestyle balance matters most.
- Don't overdrink tea just to "protect your heart"; moderation is key.
Want to manage your cardiovascular health better? The Xiaoshu Health App can sync with Apple Health to track relevant metrics, helping you log heart rate, blood pressure and more—so you can combine daily tea habits with lifestyle choices to protect your heart scientifically.