Researchers found that people who drink green tea and coffee have a lower risk of stroke. Prior studies showed that green tea lowers risk of heart disease.
Chemicals found in coffee, such as chlorogenic acid, not only cuts stroke risk, but lowers the risk of diabetes. Green tea has a compound in it that may explain the lowered risk, although researchers are still examining it. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of catechins found in green tea may offer some explanation.
For the new study, the tea- and coffee-drinking habits of 83,269 Japanese adults were tracked for 13 years. The group consisted of an almost even ratio of men to women between the ages of 45 to 74. All participants were cancer- and heart-disease-free.
Results showed that those who drank at least one cup of coffee daily lowered their risk of stroke by 20 percent. Green tea drinkers who drank two to three cups daily saw a decreased risk of 14 percent. Having four cups of green tea a day decreased the risk of stroke by 20 percent.
"This is the first large-scale study to examine the combined effects of both green tea and coffee on stroke risks. You may make a small but positive lifestyle change to help lower the risk of stroke by adding daily green tea to your diet," said Yoshihiro Kokubo, lead author of the study at Japan's National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center.
The results of the study were published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
