DRINKING tea for decades is best for protecting the heart, experts claim.
Out of six popular drinks, including coffee, booze, fizzy pop, energy drinks and fruit juice, tea came up trumps for its health benefits.
It is refreshing news for thirsty Brits who get through about 100million cups of the stuff every day.
Analysis by the University of New South Wales in Australia found adults with a long-term high consumption of tea have a 19 per cent lower than average risk of dying from heart disease.
Coffee also reduced heart risk, but only for men, while fizzy drinks and alcohol increased the danger.
Dr Carrie Ruxton, a dietitian at the Tea Advisory Panel, said: “The results of this new super-study show that tea comes top for protecting our hearts.
“It’s encouraging for our nation of tea drinkers to know that we’re doing our hearts a lot of good.”
The research, in the journal Current Developments in Nutrition, reviewed 20 past studies on the link between heart disease and long-term consumption of popular drinks.
Tea was the only one to have consistent health benefits across both sexes.
Studies regularly find health-boosting polyphenols in tea leaves have a range of benefits.
They work as antioxidants, clearing out harmful molecules in the blood, preventing cell damage, reducing stress and improving the metabolism.
The builders’ brew is also said to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and some cancers, and help with weight loss.
Dr Ruxton added: “This research is particularly important because it considers our drinking habits beyond a single snapshot in time.
“It found that every extra daily mug of tea cuts our risk of death from cardiovascular disease by four per cent and it shows the benefits of starting a long-term tea drinking habit from early adulthood or even childhood.”
