Joint association of physical activity and tea consumption with all-cause and cause-specific mortality: The Rural Chinese Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the independent and joint associations of physical activity (PA) and tea consumption with mortality risk. STUDY DESIGN: The Rural Chinese Cohort Study. METHODS: A total of 20,194 study participants (12,261 women) aged ≥18 years from The Rural Chinese Cohort Study were enrolled during 2007-2008. PA levels were categorized into tertiles. Habitual tea drinking was defined as tea consumption (≥three times/week for at least six months) and non-tea consumption. The Cox proportional hazard model was served to analyze the associations between PA and tea consumption and mortality outcomes. RESULTS: Both PA and tea consumption were separately associated with a lower risk of all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and other-cause mortality. Compared with people of tertile 1 of PA and non-tea consumption, those with tertile 3 of PA and tea consumption had significantly lower risk of all-cause (HR 0.48; 95%CI 0.37-0.61), CVD (HR 0.51; 95%CI 0.37-0.72), cancer (HR 0.45; 95%CI 0.27-0.77) and other-cause mortality (HR 0.46; 95%CI 0.27-0.79). The combination of PA and tea consumption demonstrated a more pronounced beneficial effect on a lower risk of all-cause mortality among participants aged ≥60 years and women. CONCLUSIONS: The joint presence of high level PA and habitual tea consumption was significantly associated with a lower risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality.