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Tea drinking appears to be protective against coronary heart disease in a number of epidemiologic studies. It has been suggested that tea flavonols with antioxidative activity, including quercetin, kaempferol, and myricetin,¹ could account for the favorable effect on cardiovascular health.

In the older cohort of the Rotterdam Study, we observed an inverse association of tea drinking with severe aortic atherosclerosis.² Interestingly, the relationship was most pronounced in women, which raised the hypothesis that an estrogen-related mechanism could be involved. Tea drinking in another population-based study of older women appeared protective against bone mineral loss, which may also indicate estrogenicity.³ Tea flavonoids such as kaempferol have indeed been shown to exhibit estrogenic activity in vitro.⁴ Daily kaempferol intake is almost doubled in regular tea drinkers compared with nondrinkers (a 6-mg increase for 3 to 4 cups of tea). In addition, tea contains lignan polyphenols, such as secoisolaracinol, which have been considered . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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