Cohort study finds lower gastroesophageal reflux disease prevalence with habitual tea drinking in Taiwanese adults, suggesting a protective effect of unfermented tea.
Key Points
To assess the relationship between the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and tea consumption, including tea fermentation type, drinking frequency, and daily volume, in a large Taiwanese cohort.
Analyzed cross-sectional data from N=27,119 participants in a Taiwanese cohort who completed standardized self-reported questionnaires assessing GERD status and tea intake habits.
Classified tea into fully fermented, semi-fermented, and non-fermented varieties and applied multivariable logistic regression to assess associations between GERD prevalence and tea intake parameters.
Of 27,119 participants, 4,706 (17.4%) had GERD; habitual tea consumption was significantly associated with a lower prevalence of GERD compared to non-drinkers (OR, 0.843; 95% CI, 0.779–0.911; p < 0.001).
Significant protective associations were confined to semi- and non-fermented teas (OR, 0.832; 95% CI, 0.765–0.905; p < 0.001), daily drinking (OR, 0.847), and intakes of 1 cup (OR, 0.881) or 2 cups (OR, 0.765) per day, while fully fermented tea and consumption of >3 cups daily showed no significant association.