Regular Coffee, Green Tea Consumption May Cut Risk of Stroke, Study Finds
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Gerald Zanetti/FoodPix(NEW YORK) — Past research has shown that green tea can lower your risk of developing heart disease. According to a study published Thursday in the journal Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, green tea and coffee may help decrease your risk of having stroke, especially if you consume either beverage daily.
Researchers surveyed more than 83,000 Japanese adults aged 45 to 74 years old about their consumption of these beverages and then followed them for an average 13 years. All of the participants surveyed were free of cancer or cardiovascular disease. They found that participants who drank one cup of coffee or two cups of green tea every day lowered their risk of a stroke by 20 to 30 percent, compared to those who seldom drank them.
Furthermore, as the amount of these beverages consumed increased, the risks of a stroke decreased even more.
The researchers also noted that green tea drinkers were more likely than non-drinkers to exercise.
In all, the study authors concluded that making green tea or coffee a regular part of your diet could be your first positive step for avoiding stroke.
“This is the first large-scale study to examine the combined effects of both green tea and coffee on stroke risks,” Doctor Yoshihiro Kokubo, lead author of the study at Japan’s National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, commented. “You may make a small but positive lifestyle change to help lower the risk of stroke by adding daily green tea to your diet.”
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