Scientists from Chung-Ang University and other institutions report that drinking green tea and coffee may reduce the risk of death from heart disease.
When people think of coffee, caffeine is usually the first component that comes to mind.
However, coffee also contains antioxidants and other biologically active compounds that may reduce inflammation and help protect against disease.
Similarly, many studies have shown that various types of tea may strengthen the immune system, reduce inflammation, and lower the risk of chronic diseases, including cancer and heart disease.
Previous research has suggested that coffee consumption is linked to a lower risk of death. However, evidence on the health effects of tea consumption in Asian populations has been limited.
In the current study, researchers examined the relationship between coffee and tea consumption and mortality risk in Asian populations.
They analyzed data from 12 large studies involving 248,050 men and 280,454 women from the Asia Cohort Consortium, which includes participants from China, Japan, Korea, and Singapore.
The researchers specifically assessed how consumption of coffee, green tea, and black tea was associated with deaths from heart disease and cancer.
During the follow-up period, which ranged from an average of 6.5 to 22.7 years, there were 94,744 deaths.
Compared with people who did not drink coffee, men and women who consumed at least five cups of coffee per day had a 24% and 28% lower risk of death from all causes, respectively.
Coffee consumption was also associated with a lower risk of death from heart disease and cancer in both men and women.
Green tea consumption was linked to a reduced risk of death from all causes and heart disease, although it was not associated with lower cancer mortality.
The protective association between green tea and heart disease deaths was particularly strong among those who drank at least five cups per day compared with non-drinkers.
In contrast, the relationship between black tea consumption and mortality was weak, with no clear trends observed.
Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that in Asian populations, coffee consumption is associated with lower overall mortality and reduced deaths from heart disease and cancer, while green tea consumption is associated with lower risks of death from all causes and heart disease.
The study was conducted by Sangah Shin and colleagues and published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
