Heart-Healthy Benefits of Tea
Happy Valentine’s Day! Today, I would like to discuss the heart-healthy benefits of tea since February is American Heart Month. There are many ingredients you may find in our teas that are heart healthy - too numerous to list all of them here, so I will give a brief overview of a few commonly used ingredients.
1) GREEN AND BLACK TEA
Green and black tea have been found to lower levels of LDL (bad cholesterol). Regular tea drinking has also been found to slow the age-related decrease of HDL (good cholesterol). This is great news for your heart as this may significantly decrease your chances of developing heart disease as well as decrease your risk of stroke. In fact, a six-year study of 80,000+ regular tea drinkers found an 8% decrease in cardiovascular risk. While more research needs to be done to determine how much tea one should drink to get these benefits, it is promising news to us tea-lovers!
2) CINNAMON
Cinnamon has been found to reduce high blood cholesterol and triglycerides which reduces the risk for heart disease. Cinnamon is especially beneficial for those who have type 2 diabetes, as it has been found to lower blood sugar levels, and provides a sweet taste without the added sugar.
3) ROSE HIPS
Rose hip tea may benefit your heart health due to the high levels of antioxidants, specifically Vitamin C. The Vitamin C found in rosehips has been linked to lower levels of LDL (bad cholesterol) and triglycerides in blood which reduces the risk of heart disease. While more research needs to be done specifically into rosehip tea, rosehips were also found to decrease blood pressure.
While these are only three ingredients, there are plenty more ingredients that benefit heart health in tea, so we recommend tea as a regular part of your diet. Of course, tea should not replace any medications or medical advice from your doctor. Some of our teas that I would recommend for heart health are: Blueberry Cobbler, focused, in my lane, Ambition, or Chai to name a few. Happy drinking!
Sources:
“5 Spices with Healthy Benefits.” Johns Hopkins Medicine, 4 Nov. 2021, www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/5-spices-with-healthy-benefits.
McGrane, Kelli. “8 Surprising Health Benefits of Rosehip Tea.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 12 July 2023, www.healthline.com/nutrition/rosehip-tea.
“Regular Tea Drinking Might Help Your Heart as You Age, Study Suggests.” Www.Heart.Org, 25 June 2018, www.heart.org/en/news/2018/07/12/regular-tea-drinking-might-help-your-heart-as-you-age-study-suggests.
