Controlling the “three highs” (high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high blood lipids), drinking tea is a simple, effective, and feasible method

What is “Three Highs”?

“Three Highs” refers to hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia, also known as “Three Highs Syndrome”. Hypertension is a disease in which blood pressure continues to rise beyond the normal range; hyperlipidemia is a condition in which the fat content in the blood exceeds the normal range, including cholesterol and triglycerides; hyperglycemia is a disease in which blood sugar levels continue to rise beyond the normal range. These three diseases are related to factors such as lifestyle, diet, and genetics. If not controlled for a long time, they can seriously affect human health, and even lead to the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes, and other serious illnesses. Therefore, it is very important to prevent and control “Three Highs Syndrome”. The disease can be controlled by reasonable diet, moderate exercise, quitting smoking, and limiting alcohol consumption, and early detection and treatment of the disease. By adopting scientific and reasonable diet, moderate exercise, quitting smoking, and limiting alcohol consumption, we can effectively reduce the harm of “Three Highs Syndrome” and protect human health.

So, how can “Three Highs” be effectively controlled? A simple method is to drink tea!

Drinking tea can really reduce the risk of “Three Highs”:

1. Reducing the risk of diabetes

In 2021, Professor Li Liming from Peking University School of Public Health and others analyzed the data of more than 500,000 adults in China’s chronic disease prospective study and found that daily consumption of green tea can prevent type 2 diabetes in the general population, while regular consumption of green tea can significantly reduce the risk of death among people with diabetes. (1)

1. Lowering the risk of hypertension

In 2014, a cohort study conducted in China investigated the relationship between tea consumption and blood pressure changes in 1,109 participants over a five-year period. The results showed that there was a strong interaction between increased green tea intake and decreased diastolic blood pressure. Compared with non-tea drinkers, those who consumed a total of ≥10 grams of green tea per day had a smaller increase in diastolic blood pressure. (2)

1. Improving blood lipid abnormalities

A cross-sectional study published in 2017 showed that people who drank more than 30 cups of tea per week for more than six months had lower levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in their serum, and higher levels of total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein. (3)

Dr. Wang Fang, director of the cardiology department at Beijing Hospital, also wrote in a 2018 article in the Health Times that Pu-erh tea, as well as other types of tea, contain various substances such as tea polyphenols, tea pigments, tea polysaccharides, and caffeine, which to some extent can regulate lipid metabolism, glucose metabolism, blood rheological properties, and vascular elasticity. Therefore, drinking Pu-erh tea can play a preventive role in high blood lipids, high blood sugar, thrombosis, and various factors that cause heart and brain damage. However, for patients with pre-existing diseases, drinking tea alone is not enough, and medication such as lipid-lowering drugs, hypoglycemic drugs, and blood vessel unblocking drugs is still necessary. (4)

6 Things to Keep in Mind When Drinking Tea!

1. Don’t drink strong tea

Chen Hong, deputy chief physician of the Chinese medicine department at Wuhan Donghu Hospital in Hubei Province, said in an interview with Changjiang Daily in July 2022 that everything should be done in moderation, and drinking light tea can promote health, while drinking strong tea can harm health. For example, elderly people with weak gastrointestinal function may experience discomfort from drinking large amounts of strong tea for a long time. Strong tea contains caffeine, and excessive consumption of strong tea can cause dizziness, headaches, and increase the burden on the heart, leading to uncomfortable symptoms such as chest tightness and palpitations, and causing high blood pressure. (5)

1. Don’t drink tea on an empty stomach

Qian Duoduo, a member of the Capital Health and Nutrition Gourmet Society, reminded in an article in the Health Times in 2019 that tea, especially green tea, has high levels of tea polyphenols and caffeine. If consumed on an empty stomach, some of the active substances will combine with the protein in the stomach, causing irritation to the stomach, which can easily lead to stomach discomfort and even “drunk tea” symptoms such as dizziness. Especially for people with poor gastrointestinal function, it is not recommended to drink green tea. (6)

1. Don’t drink tea too late

Tea has a refreshing and diureticeffect. Drinking a cup of light tea in the morning can help refresh the mind. For people who have trouble sleeping, it is not recommended to drink tea in the evening to avoid causing insomnia.

1. Don’t drink tea that is too hot

Drinking tea that is too hot may burn the esophageal mucosa and increase the risk of esophageal and gastric cancer. Therefore, after brewing tea with hot water, let it cool down before drinking it. Li Shujun, chief physician of the Department of Gastroenterology at Beijing Tsinghua Chang Gung Hospital, said in an interview with the Health Times in 2019 that the surface of the esophagus is covered with delicate mucosa, and food temperature has a great impact on it: 10℃ to 40℃ is the most suitable, while 50℃ to 60℃ can barely be tolerated, and temperatures above 65℃ can cause burns. Don’t think that 65℃ is a low temperature, as a hot dumpling can easily exceed this temperature. (7)

1. Drink tea one hour after meals

Zhang Xiaoyan, chief physician of the nutrition department at Lianyungang Maternal and Child Health Hospital in Jiangsu Province, said in an article in the Health Times in 2017 that it is not advisable to drink tea immediately after a meal, and it is best to drink tea one hour after a meal. This is because tannic acid in tea can inhibit the secretion of gastric and intestinal fluids, leading to digestive problems. Moreover, tannic acid can combine with proteins to form astringent protein, which weakens intestinal motility and can lead to dry stools. More importantly, tea can interfere with the absorption of iron by the body. (8)

1. Don’t drink tea when taking certain medications

Wang Yali, a pharmacist at Beijing Hepingli Hospital, reminded in an article in the Health Times in 2023 that anemic patients taking iron-containing drugs, people taking Chinese medicine with alkaloids as the main component, such as ephedra, coptis, phellodendron, and pulsatilla, people taking tonifying Chinese medicine, such as Codonopsis pilosula, astragalus, polygonum multiflorum, and psoralea, people with palpitations, insomnia, and vivid dreams taking tranquilizers, and people with spleen and stomach diseases, especially those with active peptic ulcers, should not drinktea. (9)

This article is a compilation from:

① Nie J, Yu C, Guo Y, et al. Tea consumption and long-term risk of type 2 diabetes and diabetic complications: a cohort study of 0.5 million Chinese adults. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021 Mar 11:nqab006.

② Tong X, Taylor AW, Giles L, et al. Tea consumption is inversely related to 5-year blood pressure change among adults in Jiangsu, China: a cross-sectional study[J]. Nutr J, 2014, 13(1): 98. DOI: 10.1186/1475–2891–13–98.

③ Chen P, Li Y, Chen J, et al. A cross-sectional study of the relationship between tea consumption and blood lipid levels in middle-aged and elderly people. Chin Circ J. 2017;32(5):465–469. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1000–3614.2017.05.011.

④ 2018–10–09 Health Times “High blood pressure: Don’t replace aspirin with Pu-erh tea”

⑤ July 3, 2022, Changjiang Daily “Blood pressure soared after drinking strong tea for a week, octogenarian drank himself into the hospital”

⑥ January 15, 2019, Health Times “These things shouldn’t be eaten on anempty stomach?”

⑦ April 2, 2019, Health Times “The habit of eating hot food needs to be changed!”

⑧ December 26, 2017, Health Times “Drink tea one hour after meals”

⑨ May 5, 2023, Health Times “Don’t drink tea with these medications”