A new study finds that regular black tea drinking is associated with a lower risk of vascular disease, but the benefit appears to depend on how much tea people drink and whether it is served at a potentially damaging temperature. Researchers analysed health outcomes in nearly 490,000 adults in China over about nine years, during which there were almost 15,000 vascular disease cases.

HuffPost UK reports that people who drank black tea had an 11% lower risk of vascular disease compared with non-tea drinkers, with the lowest estimated risk among those drinking roughly six to eight cups per day. It also highlights cautions from a British Heart Foundation dietitian that the research is observational, tea intake was measured only once, cup sizes were not standardised, and it cannot prove cause and effect.

Euronews adds a temperature dimension, saying that drinking tea three or more times a week is linked to an 11% lower risk, while “burning hot” tea is associated with a 16% increase in vascular disease risk. The Mirror similarly emphasises the condition that tea must not be too hot.