Plaque is also troublesome when bits breaks off the artery wall. This bit or plaque fragment can cause a blockage that results in a heart attack or stroke. Less plaque is better for arteries.
The study noted below found daily tea consumption was associated with a lower prevalence of carotid plaques in women. The best results were found with 3 cups of tea per day.
The study involved 6597 French men and women aged 65 years or older. Carotid plaque frequency was 44% in women who did not drink tea, 42.5% in women drinking 1 to 2 cups of tea per day, and 33.7% in women who enjoyed 3 cups of tea per day. This association was independent of age, study center, major vascular risk factors, educational level, and dietary habits.
Results were tested in another, younger, French population (EVA-Study, 1123 subjects). In the EVA-Study, carotid plaque frequency was 18.8% in women who did not drink tea , 18.5% in women drinking 1 to 2 cups of tea per day, and 8.9% in women who enjoyed 3 cups of tea per day. Increasing daily tea consumption was associated with a lower prevalence of carotid plaques in women, independent of vascular risk factors and dietary habits.
There was no association of tea consumption with carotid plaques in men, or extracranial carotid artery/ intima media thickness in both genders. A cup of tea with a peaceful friend or after a meditation session . . . so very comforting, especially for women's arteries.
Source:
Tea Consumption Is Inversely Associated With Carotid Plaques in Women: Three City Study and The EVA Study
Mahmoud Zureik, MD
Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2008;28:353.
