NEW YORK, Aug 03 (Reuters Health) -- In a surprise finding, British researchers report that coffee drinking is associated with reduced levels of heart disease, while tea drinking is linked to poorer cardiovascular outcomes. The authors stress that these findings may not apply to populations outside the UK.
In Scotland (the study location), "coffee drinking may be one element of a youthful, modern lifestyle with general benefits to health," explain study co-authors Dr. Mark Woodward of the University of Reading, England, and Dr. Hugh Tunstall-Pedoe of Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, Scotland.
The findings are published in the August issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
High levels of caffeine in coffee have led to its association with heart palpitations and increased cardiac risk. On the other hand, tea contains disease-fighting antioxidants, which have given it a reputation as a relatively 'healthy' drink.
Woodward and Tunstall-Pedoe tested the validity of these assumptions in their study of the health and dietary habits of over 11,000 Scottish men and women aged 40 to 59 years. The participants were followed from 1984 to 1987 as part of the Scottish Heart Health Study.
The authors found that, contrary to popular opinion, "those who drink more coffee and less tea have less chance of either a coronary event (i.e. heart attack, heart failure) or death" compared with heavy tea drinkers who avoid coffee.
The cardiovascular benefits of coffee drinking were reduced to more moderate levels after the researchers factored in social class, home ownership, and other indicators of economic status. They explain that in the UK, tea-drinking is associated with older, poorer populations with relatively unhealthy lifestyles. In contrast, UK coffee drinkers tend to be younger, more "cosmopolitan" and health-conscious than tea-drinking Britons, according to the investigators.
In an interview with Reuters Health, Tunstall-Pedoe explained that "tea and coffee drinkers are different people in almost every respect -- age, social status, and other major risk factors." After adjusting for socioeconomic factors, he and Woodward found that tea had no significant effect on cardiovascular health, while coffee retained some "residual" benefit.
Tunstall-Pedoe stressed that these findings may not be replicated in countries outside the UK. "We recommend that our study is repeated in other countries with large numbers of tea and coffee drinkers, perhaps those in which tea is the more modern drink," he said.
SOURCE: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 1999;53:481-487.
