Jan 31 2012 --- A recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that drinking three cups of black tea daily over several months may help lower blood pressure. Research participants—male and female, ages 35 to 75 were split into two groups. One group drank three cups of tea that contained 1,493 milligrams of powdered black tea solids with 429 milligrams of polyphenols and 96 grams of caffeine. The other group drank three cups that contained a placebo with the same taste and caffeine levels but no tea solids.
 
Over six months, the test subjects in the first group saw between a two and a three point drop in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, compared to the placebo group. The researchers thus concluded that the drop was due to the benefits of the tea’s antioxidants, called polyphenols.
 
According to the study’s authors, the results could translate into a 10 percent drop in the prevalence of high blood pressure and a 7 to 10 percent decrease in heart disease risk. Other studies have found that polyphenols can reduce or even prevent some of the damage, including cancer and heart disease, caused by compounds known as free radicals.
 
“EMSL Analytical’s experienced food chemists test food samples for antioxidative capacity, including polyphenols,” states Eugenia Mirica, Ph.D., Food Chemistry Laboratory Manager at EMSL. “Our food laboratory offers a wide variety of special testing services needed by those in the food industry, using the most cutting-edge technology available.”