Increased Tea Consumption Is Associated with Decreased Arterial Stiffness in a Chinese Population

Background: Tea has attracted considerable attention for its potential cardioprotective effects. The primary chemical components of tea are thought to have a beneficial effect by reducing arterial stiffness. The objective of this study was to assess the association between tea consumption and brachial–ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) in a relatively healthy Chinese population. Methods: We enrolled 3,135 apparently healthy subjects from October 2006 to August 2009. Subjects taking medication for diabetes, hypertension, or hyperlipidemia, or with a history of cardiovascular disease, were excluded from the study. The subjects were categorized into three groups according to their tea-drinking habits: (1) none to low (n = 1615), defined as non-habitual tea drinkers, or drinking for,1 year, or drinking#150 mL per day for$1 year; (2) moderate tea consumption, defined as drinking for $1 year and consumption between 151 and 450 mL per day; and (3) heavy tea consumption, defined as a drinking for $1 year and consumption.450 mL per day. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine whether different levels of consumption were independently associated with the highest quartile of baPWV values, defined as $1428.5 cm/s. Results: Of the 3,135 subjects, 48.5 % had drunk.150 mL of tea per day for at least 1 year. In multivariate regression analysis with adjustment for co-variables, including, age, sex, current smoking, alcohol use, habitual exercise, tota