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Green Tea Lowers Risk of Heart Disease
Drinking Green Tea Boosts the Health
of Blood Vessels Within Minutes
By Kelli Miller Stacy
WebMD Health News
Drinking green tea rapidly improves the health of
the delicate cells lining the blood vessels and
helps lower one's risk of heart disease.
Researchers writing in the latest issue of the
European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and
Rehabilitation have found that people who drink
green tea have better blood vessel function just 30
minutes later. Specifically, green tea improves the
function of endothelial cells. Endothelial cell
dysfunction plays a key role in the development of
clogged arteries, a process called atherosclerosis.
The
finding adds to a growing body of evidence that
suggests that powerful antioxidants in green tea
called flavonoids may protect the heart. Other
flavonoid-rich foods include red grapes, red wine,
and dark chocolate. The study authors say their
results are the first to show that green tea offers
a short-term improvement in the health of arteries.
Black tea has previously been linked to short- and
long-term improvements in endothelial function.
For
the study, Nikolaos Alexopoulos and colleagues at
the Athens Medical School in Greece randomly
assigned 14 healthy volunteers approximately 30
years of age to a cup of green tea, a beverage
containing the same amount of caffeine as green tea,
or hot water on three separate occasions.
The
researchers used a technique called flow-mediated
dilation (FMD) to measure blood flow in each
participant's arm at 30, 90, and 120 minutes after
they drank their beverage. FMD is a noninvasive test
that uses a blood pressure cuff and ultrasound to
see how blood flows in the brachial artery when the
arm is gently squeezed. The brachial artery runs
from the shoulder to the elbow. The artery should
get wider when blood flow in the area increases, but
diseases such as atherosclerosis hamper this effect.
FMD is an independent predictor of endothelial
function and heart disease risk.
After drinking green tea, the subjects experienced
significantly increased artery widening (dilation),
with the highest increase noted at 30 minutes. The
caffeinated beverage and hot water did not produce
any significant changes in the same individuals.
©
WebMD. All rights reserved.
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The finding adds to a growing body of evidence
that suggests that powerful antioxidants in
green tea called flavonoids may protect the
heart. |
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