Green tea lowers stroke risk

Drinking two cups of green tea a day could, over time, halve a person's risk of having the most common form of stroke, Australian researchers say.

Researcher Professor Colin Binns, of the School of Public Health at Curtin University in Western Australia, says their research shows people who drink at least one cup of green tea a day reduce their risk of ischemic stroke.

For those who drink more than two cups daily the risk is cut by as much as 60%.

"We can say if you are going to drink a beverage, then tea is the healthier option," says Binns.

If green tea does not take your fancy, black teas also reduce risk, albeit not as much.

"We believe other kinds of tea are half as effective as green tea in reducing risk," says Binns.

The findings, published this week in the journal Stroke, follow on from earlier research by the same group that found green tea also cuts ovarian and prostate cancer risk.

Binns says the results could help reduce the incidence of strokes, which account for more than five million deaths worldwide each year.

China study

The study tracked green tea consumption among ischemic stroke patients in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong.

Ischemic strokes, which are those caused by a clot that cuts off blood to the brain, account for about 70% of all strokes that occur.

The research, which included academics from the Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute and three Chinese hospitals, was conducted between 2007 and 2008.

The study interviewed 400 patients diagnosed as having had a stroke and 400 healthy people.

Binns says the choice of basing the research in southern China was important because the diet in that area has been relatively unchanged for the past 10-20 years, the population is homogenous and tea drinking is a traditional practice.

He says because people's tastes in Australia are constantly changing, it would be hard to replicate the study here.

However, the researchers believe green tea would have the same benefits within a western diet.

Disclaimer

Note: There is a wide range of opinion on the benefits and risks of alternative and complementary medicine in the medical community. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. Please consult your physician about your specific health care concerns.