After taking into account potentially influencing factors, the researchers found that frequent tea drinking was linked with a slower rate of decrease in HDL‐C concentrations, which natural occurs during the aging process.
A new large-scale study has found that drinking tea may help slow the decline of high-density lipoprotein as we age, also known as the body's "good" cholesterol.
Carried out by researchers from The Pennsylvania State University, Tufts University, and the University of Kentucky, USA along with a team from Kailuan Hospital, China, the study looked at 80,182 individuals age 18-98 years old living in the Kailuan community of Tangshan, China.
The researchers assessed participants' tea consumption using a questionnaire and measured the blood plasma concentrations of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or HDL-C, four times over a six-year period.
All of the participants were free of cardiovascular diseases and cancer and none used cholesterol‐lowering agents.
After taking into account potentially influencing factors, the researchers found that frequent tea drinking was linked with a slower rate of decrease in HDL‐C concentrations, which natural occurs during the aging process.
They predicted that this decline would reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 8 percent.