Study: Coffee, tea cut heart disease risk

UTRECHT, Netherlands, June 19 (UPI) -- A large study in the Netherlands found moderate consumption of coffee or tea cuts the risk of heart disease significantly, researchers say.

Dr. Yvonne van der Schouw of the University Medical Center Utrecht said the multiyear study suggests coffee and tea drinking do not increase the risk of death from any cause, The Daily Telegraph reported. She and her colleagues tracked 37,514 people for 13 years in one of the biggest studies on the subject.

Tea had a bigger impact than coffee, van der Schouw said. Those who drank between three and six cups of tea daily were 45 percent less likely to suffer coronary disease than those who drank less than one cup, while with heavy drinkers -- more than six cups -- the risk was reduced by 36 percent.

The risk of heart disease was cut by 20 percent among those who drank two to four cups of coffee. The researchers noted coffee drinkers are more likely to smoke.

Van der Schouw believes antioxidants in coffee and tea are responsible for the health benefits.

The study was published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology: Journal of the American Heart Association.