Wine and tea the recipe for a longer life

Enjoying a glass of wine with dinner combined with regular cups of tea and exercise could be the key to prolonging your life, scientists have claimed.

A study by Czech scientists, presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress in Barcelona, found both red and white wines have a protective effect against heart disease among those who take regular exercise, as reported by The Telegraph.

A total of 146 people with a mild to moderate risk of heart disease were monitored for one year as part of the study with half told to drink red wine (Pinot Noir) and half white (Chardonnay-Pinot) in moderate quantities.

Men were allowed 300ml while women could have 200ml up to five times a week.

Overall, there was no change to levels of “good” cholesterol among those drinking red or white wine, but “positive and continuous” results were seen among those who exercised regularly.

The study appeared to show “some synergy” between wine and the benefits from regular exercise, which together seemed to strengthen the heart.

A rise in “good” HDL cholesterol and a fall in total cholesterol was observed regardless of whether a subject was drinking red or white wine.

Professor Taborsky, a cardiologist from Palacky University, in the Czech republic, said: “Our current study shows that the combination of moderate wine drinking plus regular exercise improves markers of atherosclerosis, suggesting that this combination is protective against cardiovascular disease.”

A separate study presented at the same conference compared mortality among 131,000 tea and coffee drinkers over seven years finding that death rates from non-cardiac causes were 24% lower among tea-drinkers than among non-regular tea drinkers.

Professor Nicholas Danchin from the European Hospital Georges Pompidou said: “Tea has antioxidants which may provide survival benefits. Tea drinkers also have healthier lifestyles so does tea drinking reflect a particular person profile or is it tea, per se, that improves outcomes – for me that remains an open question.”

“Pending the answer to that question, I think that you could fairly honestly recommend tea drinking rather than coffee drinking – and even rather than not drinking anything at all.”