Green tea has almost become legendary for its health-promoting benefits. Used for centuries as a health tonic in many cultures, green tea is now gaining acceptance among conventional Western medical practitioners. In 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a tea-based topical ointment – Veregen – for treating genital warts caused by human papillomavirus. Research shows green tea could help to prevent some forms of cancer, and epidemiological evidence suggests that green tea might even help prevent strokes and heart attacks, two conditions caused by arterial blockage.
Polyphenols
Several substances in green tea could account for its beneficial properties, but its polyphenols – specifically its catechins – are credited with the majority of the tea’s effects. Green tea catechins have demonstrated antioxidant, antibacterial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic and cholesterol-lowering properties in scientific studies. Depending on its source and method of preparation, green tea is 20 to 45 percent polyphenols by weight, and 60 to 80 percent of these are catechins. Epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, is the most intensively studied of green tea’s polyphenols.
Green Tea and Cardiovascular Disease
One large Japanese study, initiated in 1994 and involving more than 40,000 subjects, showed that green tea consumption reduced the risk of death due to cardiovascular disease. Published in the September 2006 issue of “The Journal of the American Medical Association,” this study demonstrated that people who drank five or more cups of green tea daily had a significantly lower risk of having a stroke or dying from a heart attack. This data offered compelling evidence that green tea helps prevent atherosclerosis, or hardening of your arteries.
Arterial Blockage
Your arteries are subject to a variety of forces that contribute to atherosclerosis. High levels of circulating lipids, inflammation in the walls of your arteries and shearing forces induced by blood flow all play a role in the atherogenic process. Once an arterial plaque, or blockage, is established, it is difficult to reverse. However, a plethora of studies demonstrate that green tea catechins inhibit atherosclerosis and stabilize your arteries, even when atherosclerosis is already present. For example, in the March 2010 issue of “Circulation Journal,” Japanese researchers showed that high doses of green tea catechins – 580 mg daily, or about seven cups of tea – stabilized arteries and exerted anti-atherosclerotic effects in smokers.
Considerations
Green tea catechins – specifically epigallocatechin gallate – confer a multitude of health benefits, many of which have been demonstrated in human clinical trials and epidemiologic studies. Prevention of atherosclerosis and reducing your risk for heart attacks and strokes are among the desirable effects of consuming green tea. Even among individuals who have atherosclerosis, green tea exhibits artery-stabilizing and anti-atherosclerotic properties. Although established arterial blockages are resistant to reversal, drinking five to eight cups of green tea daily could prove useful as a dietary addition to your medical therapy. Ask your doctor if green tea fits into your treatment plan.
References
- Drugs.com: Veregen Approval History
- “American Family Physician”; Green Tea: Potential Health Benefits; C. Schneider, T. Segre; April 2009
- “The Journal of the American Medical Association”; Green Tea Consumption and Mortality Due to Cardiovascular Disease, Cancer, and All Causes in Japan: The Ohsaki Study; S. Kuriyama et al; September 2006
- “Circulation Journal”; Green Tea Catechins Improve Human Forearm Endothelial Dysfunction and Have Antiatherosclerotic Effects in Smokers; J. Oyama et al; March 2010
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