This Beverage May Help Lower Heart Attack Risk If You Have Heart Disease
Tea is one of the healthiest beverages you can sip. But how does it impact heart health for those who already have heart disease? What you need to know.
Reported by MindBodyGreen.
Heart disease isn't a single moment — it's an ongoing risk landscape. For the roughly 1 in 20 U.S. adults living with coronary heart disease (CHD), every daily habit carries more weight than it might for the general population. And according to MindBodyGreen, new research suggests something as simple as a few cups of tea could meaningfully shift the odds.
Researchers analyzed data from more than 25,000 adults with established CHD enrolled in the UK Biobank, tracking cardiovascular outcomes — heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular death — over nearly 14 years. The finding that stood out: drinking approximately three cups of tea per day was associated with a 17% lower risk of those major events compared to drinking none. Four or more cups still showed benefit, but didn't appear to push protection any further. Three cups appears to be the sweet spot.
Who Benefits Most — and Why
The protective effect was most pronounced in people who started with higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a key marker of systemic inflammation. That tracks: tea is well-established as an anti-inflammatory, and inflammation is a known driver of cardiovascular complications. The study also looked at Lp(a) — a largely genetic cardiovascular risk factor — but found it didn't explain tea's benefits. Inflammation, not genetics, appears to be the mechanism worth watching. As for which tea to reach for, the study didn't isolate a single variety, though green tea has the most robust cardiovascular research behind it, thanks to catechins like EGCG that support cholesterol levels, blood vessel function, and oxidative stress reduction. Black, oolong, and herbal teas all bring their own beneficial plant compounds to the cup — mixing them throughout the day to hit that three-cup target is entirely valid.
The polyphenols found across tea varieties appear to support endothelial function and healthy blood vessels — both directly implicated in heart disease progression. If you're not a tea person, moderate coffee consumption (also around three cups daily) has a growing body of evidence behind it for heart health. But for tea drinkers, the case for keeping the habit is getting harder to ignore. One practical note: caffeinated options like green, black, and oolong are better earlier in the day; herbal teas are ideal for afternoons and evenings if sleep is a priority.
Three cups of tea a day is a low-effort, high-return habit — and for anyone managing heart disease, that math is worth paying attention to.
Read the original at MindBodyGreen.
