Women who drink tea often protect themselves from plaque formation in their vessels. They also reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke, say the French.
Women who drink tea often protect themselves from plaque formation in their vessels. They also reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke, say the French.
Dr. Mamoud Zurik and colleagues have found that among older women, one of whose habits is to drink tea at least twice a day, the incidence of carotid artery involvement by atherosclerotic processes is significantly lower. These data are published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. Zurik's team used ultrasound to examine the condition of the vessels among 2,613 men and 3,984 women over the age of 73. Their eating habits are taken into account, and their health is also taken into account.
Carotid artery plaques were present in 44% of women who did not drink tea and 42.5% of those who consumed 1 or 2 cups, and as many as 33.7% of women who drank at least 3 times a day. The data are independent of other eating habits, general vascular risk, age, residence and education. No such dependence has been found in men.
The study did not reflect what type of tea was used among the patients, nor for how long. The reason for the gender difference is also unknown.