Drinking black tea can reduce stress hormone levels and help ease the burden of heart disease, reports www.foodnavigator.com quoting the first randomized clinical trial on the effects of the beverage on stress.

"This has important health implications, because slow recovery following acute stress has been associated with a greater risk of chronic illnesses such as coronary heart disease," said lead researcher Professor Andrew Steptoe from University College London.

The researchers, from UCL and Unilever Research Colworth, found that drinking four cups of black tea daily for six weeks reduced blood levels of the stress hormone cortisol by 20% more than the level recorded in the placebo group, backing up the 'old wives tale' that tea helps people relax.

"Drinking tea has traditionally been associated with stress relief and many people believe that drinking tea helps them relax after facing the stresses of everyday life," said Steptoe. "However, scientific evidence for the relaxing properties of tea is quite limited. This is one of the first studies to assess tea in a double-blind placebo controlled design."

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