Black tea is a kind of tea that’s created from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. It’s the most generally consumed tea on the planet and is understood for its daring taste and darkish shade.
The flavonoids present in black tea have been linked to improved cardiovascular well being later in life. Consuming a cup of black tea each day might present these advantages, however if you’re not a tea drinker, there are different dietary choices that include flavonoids.
Consuming a each day cup of tea might have potential advantages to your well being as you age, however even if you happen to’re not a tea drinker, you’ll be able to nonetheless reap the advantages of flavonoids by way of different dietary choices. Flavonoids are naturally occurring substances discovered in lots of frequent meals and drinks comparable to black and inexperienced tea, apples, nuts, citrus fruits, berries, and extra.
Flavonoids have lengthy been acknowledged for his or her well being advantages, however new analysis from Edith Cowan College (ECU) suggests they might be much more helpful than beforehand believed. The Coronary heart Basis supported a examine of 881 aged ladies (median age of 80) which discovered that those that consumed a excessive degree of flavonoids of their food regimen have been much less more likely to have intensive build-up of belly aortic calcification (AAC).
AAC is the calcification of the belly aorta — the biggest artery within the physique which provides oxygenated blood from the guts to the belly organs and decrease limbs — and is a predictor of cardiovascular dangers comparable to coronary heart assault and stroke. It has additionally been discovered to be a dependable predictor for late-life dementia.
ECU Diet and Well being Innovation Analysis Institute researcher and examine lead Ben Parmenter mentioned whereas there have been many dietary sources of flavonoids, some had significantly excessive quantities.
“In most populations, a small group of meals and drinks—uniquely excessive in flavonoids—contribute the majority of whole dietary flavonoid consumption,” he mentioned. “The principle contributors are normally black or inexperienced tea, blueberries, strawberries, oranges, purple wine, apples, raisins/grapes, and darkish chocolate.”
The flavonoid household
There are a lot of several types of flavonoids, comparable to flavan-3-ols and flavonols, which the examine indicated seem to even have a relationship with AAC. Examine members who had a better consumption of whole flavonoids, flavan-3-ols, and flavonols have been 36-39 p.c much less more likely to have intensive AAC.
Black tea was the examine cohort’s primary supply of whole flavonoids and was additionally related to considerably decrease odds of intensive AAC. In contrast with respondents who didn’t drink tea, members who had two-to-six cups per day had a 16-42 p.c much less probability of getting intensive AAC.
Nonetheless, another dietary sources of flavonoids comparable to fruit juice, purple wine, and chocolate, didn’t present a big helpful affiliation with AAC.
Not simply tea
Although black tea was the principle supply of flavonoids within the examine — seemingly because of the age of the members — Mr. Parmenter mentioned individuals might nonetheless profit from flavonoids with out placing the kettle on.
“Out of the ladies who don’t drink black tea, increased whole non-tea flavonoid consumption additionally seems to guard towards intensive calcification of the arteries,” he mentioned. “This suggests flavonoids from sources aside from black tea could also be protecting towards AAC when tea will not be consumed.”
Mr. Parmenter mentioned this was vital because it permits non-tea drinkers to nonetheless profit from flavonoids of their food regimen.
“In different populations or teams of individuals, comparable to younger males or individuals from different international locations, black tea won’t be the principle supply of flavonoids,” he mentioned. “AAC is a serious predictor of vascular illness occasions, and this examine exhibits consumption of flavonoids, that would defend towards AAC, are simply achievable in most individuals’s diets.”
Reference: “Larger Routine Dietary Flavonoid Consumption Associates With Much less In depth Stomach Aortic Calcification in a Cohort of Older Ladies” by Benjamin H. Parmenter, Catherine P. Bondonno, Kevin Murray, John T. Schousboe, Kevin Croft, Richard L. Prince, Jonathan M. Hodgson, Nicola P. Bondonno and Joshua R. Lewis, 3 November 2022, Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.
DOI: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.122.318408