How Much Tea and Coffee Lowers Heart Disease Risk

If you’re worried that your daily coffee or tea habit might be hurting your heart, a major study from the Netherlands offers reassuring data: drinking both beverages in moderation is actually linked to a lower risk of heart disease and related death.

The bottom line? People who drank 3–6 cups of tea or 2–4 cups of coffee per day had significantly lower risks of heart disease and dying from it—up to 45% lower in some cases—compared to those who drank very little or way too much.

Key Findings from the Dutch Cardiovascular Study

Researchers from Utrecht University Medical Center analyzed data from 37,514 participants over 13 years, tracking their coffee and tea consumption along with rates of cardiovascular disease and death. Importantly, all intake levels were self-reported, and researchers didn’t record specific types of tea beyond noting that black tea made up 78% of all tea consumed in the Netherlands, with green tea at just 4.6%.

The study uncovered four major correlations between moderate consumption and heart health:

• People who drank more than 6 cups of tea daily had a 36% lower risk of developing heart disease compared to those who drank less than 1 cup per day.
• Those consuming 3–6 cups of tea per day saw a 45% reduction in the risk of death from heart disease, versus those drinking less than 1 cup.
• Drinking 2–4 cups of coffee per day was associated with a 20% lower risk of heart disease, compared to people who drank fewer than 2 cups or more than 4 cups daily.
• Moderate coffee drinkers also showed a slight reduction in overall death risk, including from non-cardiovascular causes, though the effect was less pronounced.

Interestingly, neither coffee nor tea consumption showed any significant link to stroke risk in this research.

Why Tea Might Protect Your Heart

According to the study’s lead author, Dr. Yvonne T. van der Schouw, a professor of chronic disease epidemiology, the heart benefits of tea may come down to its antioxidant content. Specifically, the flavonoids in tea are believed to reduce cardiovascular risk—but the exact mechanism remains unclear.

“Earlier studies suggested coffee and tea might both lower heart disease risk,” she explained, “but we lacked decisive evidence on their effects on death from heart disease or stroke. Our findings now show that both beverages are linked to a reduced risk of heart disease without increasing the risk of stroke or death from any cause.”

What the Data Really Shows About Coffee and Tea

Despite the promising numbers, the study also revealed some lifestyle differences between coffee and tea drinkers that could skew results. For example, many coffee drinkers were also more likely to smoke and have less healthy diets overall—factors that typically increase heart disease risk. In contrast, tea drinkers tended to have healthier habits, which may enhance tea’s beneficial effects.

Still, even after accounting for these variables, moderate tea consumption consistently correlated with better cardiovascular outcomes. And for coffee, the sweet spot appears to be right in the middle range: not too little, and not too much.

Here’s a summary of the daily intake levels that showed the clearest benefits:

• Tea: 3–6 cups/day (45% lower heart disease death risk), >6 cups/day (36% lower heart disease risk)
• Coffee: 2–4 cups/day (20% lower heart disease risk)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many cups of tea per day lower heart disease risk the most?

Drinking 3–6 cups of tea per day is linked to a 45% lower risk of dying from heart disease, and more than 6 cups per day is linked to a 36% lower overall risk of developing heart disease, compared to drinking less than 1 cup per day.

Is 2–4 cups of coffee per day good for your heart?

Yes. Consuming 2–4 cups of coffee daily is associated with a 20% lower risk of heart disease, compared to drinking fewer than 2 cups or more than 4 cups each day.

Does drinking tea or coffee reduce the risk of stroke?

No, this study found no significant association between tea or coffee consumption and the risk of stroke.

Does drinking more than 4 cups of coffee increase health risks?

Compared to drinking 2–4 cups per day, having fewer than 2 or more than 4 cups of coffee daily was not linked to lower heart disease risk—but 2–4 cups per day specifically showed a clear cardiovascular benefit.

Why might tea be better for heart health than coffee?

Tea contains flavonoids, a type of antioxidant that may help lower cardiovascular risk. However, the exact way tea reduces heart disease risk is still not fully understood.

Was decaffeinated coffee or tea included in this study?

No, the study did not differentiate between caffeinated and decaffeinated versions of coffee or tea—all intake referred to the beverages as typically consumed.

Recommended FrontStreet Beans for Heart-Healthy Coffee Rituals

Pair your moderate coffee routine with FrontStreet Coffee’s Ethiopia Yirgacheffe for bright, floral notes and a silky body, or try the Colombia Huila for balanced caramel and citrus tones. Both single origins highlight the kind of clean, antioxidant-rich profiles often sought by health-conscious drinkers. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.