By Matt Brignall, ND
Healthnotes Newswire — Drinking tea improves the functioning of arteries in patients suffering from atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), according to a study published the August edition of the journal Circulation.1
In this study, 50 patients with atherosclerosis diagnosed by angiogram (a type of photograph of the blood vessels) drank roughly two cups (450 ml) of black tea. The ability of the major artery of the arm to dilate was then monitored with ultrasound. This arterial function was compared with that of patients who drank water prior to the experiment.
Patients drinking the tea prior to ultrasound evaluation were found to have a greater dilation (or opening) in the arteries of the arm in response to varying stimuli. The authors also found that ingestion of four cups of tea per day for a month, but no tea immediately before the ultrasound, had a similar effect. Caffeine alone did not have similar beneficial effects as the tea, suggesting that some tea component other than caffeine was responsible for the action.
A previous study showed that an impaired capacity of the arteries of the arm to dilate is predictive of problems in the arteries of the heart (coronary arteries).2 Poorly functioning coronary arteries are, in turn, implicated as a factor in the development of heart attacks.
Next to water, tea is the most commonly consumed beverage worldwide. A previous study showed that people who drink more tea are at a lower risk of heart attack.3 Research has also focused on a potential cancer-preventive action of tea.4
References1. Duffy SJ, Keaney JF, Holbrook M, et al. Short- and long-term black tea consumption reverses endothelial dysfunction in patients with coronary artery disease. Circulation 2001;104:151–6.
2. Anderson TJ, Uehata A, Gerhard MD, et al. Close relation of endothelial function in the human coronary and peripheral circulations. J Am Coll Cardiol 1995;26:1235–41.
3. Sesso HD, Gaziano JM, Buring JE, Hennekens CH. Coffee and tea intake and the risk of myocardial infarction. Am J Epidemiol 1999;149:162–7.
4. Yang CS, Chung JY, Yang G, et al. Tea and tea polyphenols in cancer prevention. J Nutr 2000;130(2S Suppl):472S–478S. Matt Brignall, ND, is in practice at the Seattle Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center and at the Evergreen Integrative Medicine Clinic in Kirkland, WA. He specializes in integrative treatment of cancer.