Primary reasons for green tea and coffee consumption may lie in the fact that both beverages contain a common psychoactive component called caffeine that helps keep drinkers energetic, warmer, and awake. However, there are numerous secondary benefits.
Due to the presence of a group of a primary compounds called polyphenols, drinking tea and coffee decreased the risk of many diseases, including coronary artery disease (CAD).
In a recent study, a group of Japanese scientists found that green tea consumption is inversely associated with the incidence of CAD and myocardial infarction (MI).
On the other hand, the researchers did not find any significant relationship between coffee consumption and the two other variables.
The study results were published in the Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology on June 30, 2020 (Kishimoto, Saita, et al., 2020).
In the study, the investigator retrospectively investigated the clinical data of 612 patients who underwent coronary angiography at Tokyo Medical Center between July 2008 and February 2017. Of all the patients, the researchers confirmed the presence of CAD in 388 patients. They also found MI in 138 patients.
After adjusting atherosclerotic risk factors associated with other diets, the investigator concluded that greater green tea consumption was significantly inversely associated with CAD prevalence (p for trend=0.044). The patients who drank >3 cups/d had a lower prevalence of CAD compared to those who drank <1 cup/d (odds ratio [OR]: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.30-0.98).
Greater green tea consumption (>3 cups/d) was also associated with a decreased prevalence of MI (OR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.27-0.97, p-trend=0.037). On the other hand, no significant association was established between coffee consumption and CAD or MI.
In subgroup analyses, they found an inverse association between green tea consumption and CAD or MI in high-intake groups of vegetables or fruits but not in the low-intake groups of vegetables or fruits.
The study results demonstrate that increased tea consumption is inversely associated with the incidence of CAD. Individuals get beneficial effects against coronary atherosclerosis, especially when they drink tea and also consume vegetables and fruits—the study concluded.
