Drink up! Your heart will thank you.
Reviewed by Dietitian Karen Ansel, M.S., RDN
Key Points
- Drinking black tea may help protect against high blood pressure.
- It is believed to do this by improving blood vessel health and fighting inflammation.
- Other blood pressure–friendly drinks are coffee, green tea, hibiscus tea and beet juice.
Blood pressure is an important indicator of overall health. Yet nearly half of the U.S. population is living with high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. Eating certain foods can help lower blood pressure, but what about beverages? Could a daily black tea habit help nudge those numbers into a healthy range?
“Unsweetened black tea is well-known for its health benefits,” says Kendra Haire, RDN. According to the American Heart Association, black tea has a long list of health perks, such as improving brain function and protecting against type 2 diabetes, cancer and heart disease. In fact, research has found that consuming just 2 cups of black tea a day can lower coronary heart disease risk by 14%. And one way it may do that is by supporting healthy blood pressure.
To find out how black tea could affect your blood pressure, we spoke with nutrition experts. Here’s what they told us, plus tips for other drinks for better blood pressure.
3 Ways Black Tea May Impact Blood Pressure
It May Improve Blood Vessel Health
Some evidence suggests that frequent black tea consumption may decrease your systolic blood pressure, says Jessica Brantley-Lopez, M.B.A., RDN. That’s the top number in your blood pressure reading, and keeping it in a desirable range is key for lowering your overall risk of heart disease and stroke. The polyphenols found in black tea—as well as many fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts—may improve the functioning of endothelial cells that line blood vessels.
There’s another way black tea may keep your blood vessels healthy. Black tea’s polyphenols have also been shown to reduce the levels of both total and harmful LDL cholesterol. This may protect against the development of atherosclerosis, in which cholesterol buildup thickens the artery walls.
It Can Help Fight Inflammation
Inflammation plays a role in the development of many chronic diseases, and hypertension is no exception. Enter black tea. Research has shown that this brew may help lower a marker of inflammation in the blood, called C-reactive protein. While multiple mechanisms may be in play, experts suspect that certain polyphenols in black tea, called catechins, may be one of the driving forces in black tea’s ability to protect against inflammation.
It May Protect Against Hypertension
Tea consumption has been associated with a 10% reduction in the risk of developing high blood pressure (the reduction varies by type of tea). Given that caffeine temporarily raises blood pressure, that may seem counterintuitive. However, it’s likely that black tea’s cocktail of protective compounds supports healthy blood pressure over the long term, in spite of its caffeine. In addition to black tea’s polyphenols, this brew may also help protect against high blood pressure by inhibiting the production of renin, an enzyme that plays a pivotal role in raising blood pressure.
For the most protection, drink your tea black, as research indicates that the proteins in milk can decrease the bioavailability of black tea’s polyphenols.
Is It Safe to Drink Black Tea Every Day?
Our experts agree that a daily black tea habit is safe and may even be beneficial to overall health. However, black does contain caffeine (about 50 milligrams per 8-ounce cup). So, if caffeine makes you jittery or interferes with your ability to sleep at night, you may want to avoid it. Black tea also contains compounds called tannins that can impair iron absorption. While that’s not a problem for most healthy people, you may want to drink your tea between meals, especially if you have low iron levels.
Of course, how you take your tea matters, too. Add-ins, such as cream and sugar, can easily offset many of tea’s heart-healthy benefits. Ideally, the best way to enjoy tea is without any sugar, but that may be easier said than done. “If you want to switch away from sweetened tea, try half sweet and half unsweetened tea, or check out teas that are naturally flavored with fruit or spices like cinnamon,” suggests Haire.
Other Blood Pressure-Friendly Drinks to Consider
Black tea isn’t the only drink linked to better blood pressure. These beverages may also help keep your numbers in check.
- Black Coffee: Research has shown that coffee may help protect against high blood pressure over the long term, thanks to compounds like chlorogenic and ferulic acids. However, if you already have very high blood pressure, the American Heart Association recommends a 1-cup daily limit, as new research shows that drinking more than this may increase heart attack risk in people with severe hypertension.
- Green Tea: For those sensitive to the higher caffeine levels in black tea, drinking green tea can offer even more blood pressure benefits without the jitters. “Green tea has been shown in multiple studies to have a bigger effect on lowering blood pressure over time,” Brantley-Lopez says.
- Beet Juice: The natural nitrate content of beets and beet juice may help improve blood pressure, particularly for older adults. One study found that when older adults drank beet juice shots twice daily for two weeks, their blood pressure fell and their blood nitrite levels increased.
- Hibiscus Tea: This naturally sweet tea does lots of good things for your heart health, including lowering blood pressure. It may also help reduce harmful LDL cholesterol, delivering a double win for heart health.
Our Expert Take
Drinking black tea regularly may help keep your blood pressure in check. Black tea is rich in compounds that help keep your blood vessels healthy and fight inflammation. Research has shown that regular black tea consumption may even help reduce the risk of developing hypertension. But if black tea isn’t your thing (or you want even more blood pressure–lowering power), green tea, hibiscus tea and beet juice are also great ways to support healthy blood pressure. As long as you don’t have severe hypertension, coffee can help, too!
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