The Ability of Tea to Lower Blood Pressure

Tea lovers may be surprised to learn their beverage of choice touts yet another health benefit: blood pressure control.

A new study demonstrated that drinking half a cup of green or oolong tea per day reduced a person's risk of high blood pressure by almost 50%. People who drank at least two and a half cups per day reduced their risk even more. This risk was reduced even if they had risk factors for high blood pressure, such as high sodium intake.

In this study, researchers assessed the effects of tea consumption on the risk of hypertension in people without a prior history of the disease. More than 1,500 men and women participated; approximately 600 of them were habitual tea drinkers, defined as those who drank at least half a cup of tea per day for at least one year.

Even in the presence of risk factors for hypertension, tea drinkers were nearly 50 percent less likely to develop hypertension than non-tea drinkers.

Other ways to reduce your risk of high blood pressure include living an active lifestyle that includes regular exercise, and eating a balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, low-fat dairy, fish, and poultry. Limiting alcohol intake and losing excess weight also can help reduce hypertension risk.

[Source: The protective effect of habitual tea consumption on hypertension. Yang, Y. C., Lu, F. H., Wu, J. S., Wu, C. H., Chang, C. J. Archives of Internal Medicine, 2004 July 164:1534-1540.]