Drink Black Tea, No Milk

A new study finds that adding milk to tea diminishes tea’s antioxidant and cardiovascular benefits.

The casein proteins of milk seem to decrease the concentration of tea’s catechin’s, which are the flavanoids responsible for its protective effects against cardiovascular disease.

Black tea, alone, significantly improves the ability of the arteries to relax and expand, which would reduce blood pressure and tension on the heart.

Adding milk to tea completely prevents this effect.

Milk also prevents (or at least significantly reduces) the antioxidant and (perhaps) the cancer protective effect of tea.

These findings are published in the most recent issue of the European Heart Journal.

Perhaps the most striking example of this finding is that in countries where they drink a lot of [tag-tec]tea[/tag-tec], heart disease is reduced- except in Great Britain, where it is typical to add milk to tea.

Researchers recommend using lemon instead of milk to retain tea’s benefits.