Milk counteracts the favorable health effects of tea on heart disease

Drinking tea has protective effects in people with heart disease. It works by exerting antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and vasodilating effects, which protect against cardiovascular diseases.

Now we learn that mixing milk with the tea can offset these benefits.

16 healthy women drank either freshly brewed black tea, or black tea with 10% skimmed milk, or boiled water as control. Compared with drinking water, drinking tea significantly increased the ability of the arteries to relax and expand in order to accommodate increased blood flow. The addition of milk completely prevented this biological effect.

The bottom line?

“It is important to bear in mind,” said Dr. Mario Lorenz, “that green tea is almost exclusively drunk without milk. So we are talking only about those countries and regions where black tea is consumed and where milk is added.”

1/10/07 23:12 JR