Drinking Black Tea May Cut Risk of Stroke

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Researchers say substances containing flavonoids provide protection:

Regular, long-term consumption of black tea, fruits and other substances containing flavonoids may protect against stroke, according to an article in the AMA's Archives of Internal Medicine.

Sirving O. Keli, M.D., Ph.D., formerly of the National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection, Bilthoven, the Netherlands, and colleagues studied 552 men, aged 50 to 69 years, between 1970 and 1985 to test a theory that the dietary antioxidant vitamins and flavonoids in fruits and vegetables shield against stroke.

Black tea was the major source of flavonoids consumed by the men, contributing 70 percent, while apples contributed about 10 percent of flavonoid intake. The researchers found an inverse association between tea consumption and stroke risk, but the link between solid fruit and stroke risk was statistically insignificant.

They write: "Men who drank more than 4.7 cups of tea per day had a 69 percent reduced risk of stroke compared with men who drank less than 2.6 cups per day. Tea also contains other antioxidative compounds...which may explain this inverse association."

While the researchers found a lower risk of stroke with a high consumption of solid fruit (mainly apples), they called the difference "insignificant" until further studies could be conducted.

Besides minerals, fruit and vegetables are important sources of antioxidants (e.g., beta carotene, vitamin C, and flavonoids), according to information cited in the study. Antioxidants prevent low-density lipoprotein (the bad cholesterol) from oxidizing, and may therefore, reduce the occurrence of coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke. Flavonoids are nonnutritive compounds with antioxidant properties, occurring in plant foods.

While other researchers have found an association between fresh fruit and vegetables to lower stroke rates, those studies suggest the intake of potassium might be behind the results. The latest study is the first to show a protective effect of flavonoid intake on stroke incidence.

The researchers write: "Our findings suggest potassium does not explain the inverse relation between fruit and vegetable consumption and the occurrence of stroke."

The researchers conclude: "Long-term intake of flavonoids and consumption of black tea may protect against stroke. A possible beneficial effect of dietary B-carotene and the consumption of solid fruit on stroke risk merits further investigation."

(Source: American Medical Association, Physicians dedicated to the health of America, 515 North State Street, Chicago, Illinois 60610, Telephone: 312-464-4443, FAX: 312-464-5839 web: http://www.ama-assn.org )

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