Green Tea Consumption and Risk of All-Cause Mortality: Findings from a Prospective Cohort Study

Area of Science:

• Epidemiology
• Nutritional Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Growing concerns regarding excessive caffeine intake from green tea and potential health risks.
• Need to evaluate the association between green tea consumption and mortality in specific populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the relationship between green tea consumption and the risk of all-cause mortality in Vietnam.
• To investigate potential health benefits of green tea in a large prospective cohort.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Hanoi Prospective Cohort Study (42,146 participants, aged 10+, 2007-2019).
• Assessed green tea intake using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire.
• Employed Cox proportional hazard regression to calculate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), adjusting for confounders.

Main Results:

• An inverse association was observed between green tea intake and all-cause mortality (HR per SD increment = 0.93; 95% CI, 0.89-0.97).
• This protective association was more pronounced in males and consistent across various age groups, BMI levels, smoking statuses, and alcohol/coffee consumption habits.
• No significant difference was found in females or in individuals with a history of type 2 diabetes.

Conclusions:

• The study suggests a protective effect of green tea consumption against all-cause mortality in the Vietnamese population.
• These findings represent the first prospective cohort evidence from Vietnam on this topic.
• Further research is recommended to validate these results in similar populations and settings.