SUPERMARKETGURU FOOD &
HEALTH WEEKLY NEWSFLASH!
Want Tea Benefits? Don't Add Milk!
Published on: January 10, 2007A small German study published in the European Heart Journal found that adding milk to a cup of tea can destroy tea's ability to protect against heart disease.
The study confirms what many have been saying all along - that black tea significantly helps the arteries to relax and expand thus keeping blood pressure healthy. More specifically, the catechins in tea produce nitric oxide which helps the blood vessels dilate.
But, the protein in milk, also known as caseins, actually blocks the beneficial health effects of catechins. Senior researcher Dr Verena Stangl, professor of cardiology at the Charite Hospital, in Berlin, said: "Our results thus provide a possible explanation for the lack of beneficial effects of tea on the risk of heart disease in the UK, a country where milk is usually added." Approximately 98% of UK tea-drinkers prefer milk in their tea.
The researchers tested the effects of tea on just 16 humans and in rodent studies. Research that is conducted in such small trials that the results must be kept in the correct perspective until larger trials have been studied.
