Although high blood pressure usually has no symptoms, it leads to inflammation of your blood vessels, which can cause narrowing of your arteries that blocks blood flow to your heart. Over time, high blood pressure increases your chance of heart disease and stroke. Evidence indicates that tea consumption might help lower blood pressure.
Mechanism
Tea contains potent antioxidants called flavonoids, which might be responsible for tea's blood pressure benefits, according to a review performed by researchers at the University of Western Australia. Tea flavonoids improve blood vessel function and behave like a vasodilator, or a substance that dilates or widens blood vessels. Dilating blood vessels allows blood to move easier through artery walls, thereby reducing blood pressure. The findings were reported in the September 2006 issue of "Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology & Physiology."
Tea Intake
Increasing your tea intake might lower blood pressure, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Western Australia School of Medicine and Pharmacology. They studied the relationship between tea intake and blood pressure. Scientists reported in the September 2003 issue of the "Journal of Nutrition" that those with higher tea intakes had lower blood pressure compared with those with lower tea intakes.
Green Tea Extract
Researchers at the University of Florida and Harvard Medical School investigated the effects of green tea extract on health markers, including blood pressure and cholesterol. They discovered that healthy men and women consuming 200 mg of green tea extract daily for three weeks experienced decreases in blood pressure compared with those who had a placebo, according to Nutra-Ingredients.
Interactions
Tea seems to be effective for reducing blood pressure; however, it may interact with blood thinning medications, according to Linus Pauling Institute. Consult your health care provider before drinking tea or taking tea supplements.
References
- "Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology & Physiology"; Effects of Tea and Tea Flavonoids on Endothelial Function and Blood Pressure: a Brief Review; J.M. Hodgson; September 2006
- "Journal of Nutrition"; Tea Intake is Inversely Related to Blood Pressure in Older Women; J.M. Hodgson et al.; September 2003
- Nutra Ingredients; Green Tea Extract May Lower Blood Pressure: Study; October 2008
- Linus Pauling Institute; Tea; July 2009
