Researchers have said that a large study in the Netherlands found moderate consumption of coffee or tea cuts the risk of heart disease significantly.

The Daily Telegraph has reported that Dr. Yvonne van der Schouw of the University Medical Center Utrecht said the multiyear study suggests coffee and tea drinking do not increase the risk of death from any cause. She and her colleagues tracked 37,514 people for 13 years in one of the biggest studies on the subject.

van der Schouw said that tea had a bigger impact than coffee. Those who drank between three and six cups of tea daily were 45 percent less likely to suffer coronary disease than those who drank less than one cup, while with heavy drinkers, more than six cups, the risk was reduced by 36 percent.

It was also reported that the risk of heart disease was cut by 20 percent among those who drank two to four cups of coffee. The researchers noted coffee drinkers are more likely to smoke.

Van der Schouw believes that antioxidants in coffee and tea are responsible for the health benefits.

Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology: Journal of the American Heart Association has published the report. (With inputs from Agencies)