Tea has so many health benefits. Now, add two more to the long list - drinking three cups of the beverage daily can cut your risk of getting a heart attack as well as diabetes, says a new study.

Regular consumption of tea is claimed to prevent artery-blocking blood clots, control blood pressure and stop arteries from dangerously constricting blood flow.

Now, researchers, led by Dr Carrie Ruxton and Dr Pamela Mason, claim three cups of tea a day can slash the risk of a heart attack by 60 per cent and dramatically reduce the threat of diabetes, the Daily Express reported.

The study, an extensive review of 40 research papers, evaluated a raft of data linking black tea and disease prevention. It found in most cases black tea produced a significant protective association.

Dr Ruxton and Dr Mason estimate that people who drink three to six cups of tea a day lower their risk of contracting heart disease by 30 to 57 per cent compared with people who never drink it or who drink small amounts. "Given the available evidence, regular black tea intake is linked with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes. "Three to six cups of black tea a day appears to contribute to cardiovascular health," Dr Ruxton said.
According to the researchers, these benefits are due to a variety of positive factors in black tea, such as antioxidant flavonoids and theanine, which help to control blood pressure, regulate nitric oxide production (which impacts on arterial function) and inhibit platelet aggregation (which can cause blood clots). "Our review also found evidence of a link between black tea consumption and a reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes when one to five cups of tea were consumed daily," Dr Ruxton said.