A study conducted in China by a team led by Dr. Andy H. Lee of Curtin University of Technology in Perth, Australia published in the journal Stroke found that respondents who drank at least one cup of tea every week for 30 years or more had a 60% lower risk of suffering ischemic stroke, which is caused by partially or completely blocked oxygen-delivering arteries in the brain. Drinking more than 2 cups of tea daily lent a 40% lower risk of such strokes but the odds increased in one’s favor depending on the typs\e of tea commonly consumed. Green tea drinkers have a 72% lower risk for ischemic stroke, oolong drinkers 79%.

While the team could come up with no obvious explanation for the findings, they pointed out that tea, or some of its components, help to reduce high blood pressure and other risk factors.

Lee recommended more research in other countries be conducted to "ascertain whether tea consumption can enhance survival of stroke patients."