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GREEN TEA AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a collective term for a group of disorders of
the heart and blood vessels that includes hypertension (high blood pressure),
coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and other conditions that can
lead to a heart attack, stroke or heart failure.
It's terrifying to think that your heart, that all-important pump, or your
brain, that vital control center, could suddenly stop working. Unfortunately, it
happens to thousands of Americans every day. This year alone an estimated 1.2
million of us will have a new or recurrent heart attack and about 700,000 will
suffer a new or recurrent stroke. The devastation these diseases will cause, not
only to the individual but to all who care about him or her, is unimaginable.
Luckily, it appears that green tea can help. Studies of large populations
suggest that the rates of CVD are lower, and sometimes a lot lower, in areas
where green tea intake is high. This makes sense, as studies have shown that
green tea can help protect the heart and blood vessels by:
- improving cholesterol values
- lowering blood pressure
- decreasing blood "stickiness"
- reducing LDL oxidation (a crucial beginning step in the process of plaque
buildup in the arteries)
- decreasing obesity
- preventing or lessening diabetes mellitus
- reducing the effects of stress
We address some of the CVD risk factors - including
cholesterol,
obesity and
diabetes - individually in
other parts of the Green Tea Library, so we won't discuss them in this section.
Instead, we'll focus on key studies regarding green tea's effects on cardiovascular
disease in general, high blood pressure, blood "stickiness," cigarette smoking
and high stress levels.
To learn more, click on these key studies and expert opinions:
KEY HUMAN STUDIES
- 1) Green Tea Linked to Less Coronary Artery
Disease
2) Green and Oolong Teas Reduce Risk of Developing
High Blood Pressure
3) Green Tea Catechins Lower After-Meal Rise in
Blood Fats4) Green Tea Amino Acid
Reduces Stress Responses
5) Green Tea Fights Cigarette Smoke-Related
Damage to Arteries
6) Green Tea Decreases Mortality After Heart
Attack
7) Stroke Incidence Halved in Green Tea
Drinkers
8) Green Tea Associated With Lower Death Rates
From Cardiovascular Disease and All Causes
KEY ANIMAL STUDIES
- 1) Green and Black Tea Polyphenols Reduce Blood Pressure in Rats
2) Green Tea Delays Strokes in Stroke-Prone Rats
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KEY LABORATORY STUDIES
- 1) Green Tea
Catechins Fight Unwanted Clumping of Blood Platelets
2) Green Tea Catechins Fight Constriction of Arteries
3) Green Tea
Extract Fights Cell Death Due to
Oxygen Deprivation
EXPERT OPINION
- 1) Green Tea Shows Promise As a Stroke Preventive
2) Green Tea a "Promising Tool" for Prevention and Treatment of CVD
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Nadine Taylor, M.S., R.D. presents
GreenTeaLibrary.com,
the most comprehensive collection of scientific information
describing the health benefits of green tea.
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