Lee Swanson Research Update

Women See Reduction in Blood Pressure After Drinking Tea

October 2003

If you're a woman and you enjoy drinking tea, you may be sipping your way to good health.

Researchers at the University of Western Australia School of Medicine in Perth believe "tea is rich in polyphenols, which have activities consistent with blood pressure-lowering potential." They set about to prove it.

The relationship between tea intake and blood pressure was investigated in a cross-sectional study of 218 women, all of whom were older than 70. Higher tea intake and higher 4-O-methylgallic acid secretion (a marker of exposure to tea-derived polyphenols) were linked to significantly lower systolic and diastolic blood pressures.

Researchers noted women who increased tea consumption by one cup (250 mL/day) exhibited a reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, indicating long-term ingestion of tea may favorably affect blood pressure in older women.

Journal of Nutrition133:2883-2886, 2003

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