Experts talked about the effect of tea on the heart

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Dozens of studies show that reducing the risk of heart disease can with the help of regular tea. At the same time, the choice of drink depends solely on individual preferences: it can be green, white, black and even herbal tea.

In the course of a study published in the “European Journal of Preventive Cardiology”, data on health were analyzed 100,000 Chinese in more than seven years. As a result, it was found that regular tea drinkers who drink more than three cups of the drink per week have a 20% lower risk of heart attack and a 22% lower risk of dying from heart disease.

Another study of more than 40,000 Japanese people found that the risk of death from a heart attack or stroke was 26% lower in people who drank more than five cups of green tea a day. “Studies show that high tea consumption improves heart health and reduces the risk of disease. The fact is that teas contain useful plant compounds known as polyphenols, which work in the body as antioxidants,” said Lisa Richards, a nutritionist.

Tea polyphenols play an important role in relaxing arteries by reducing inflammation and increasing the activity of nitric oxide in the endothelium, the layer of cells that line the inside of blood vessels. Due to nitric oxide, which is a vasodilator, the endothelium relaxes, blood vessels expand, and blood flow improves, according to the study.

The key component of tea is EGCG, one of the most powerful catechins. “Green tea is rich in polyphenols and catechins, two antioxidant compounds known for their anti-inflammatory properties,” the scientists said. diabetes. Scientists have discovered that catechin can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke by reducing the amount of “bad” cholesterol in the blood. However, not only green tea has this effect.

According to experts, black tea also lowers the level of triglycerides in the blood and increases the level of “good” cholesterol due to the polyphenols in its composition. As the scientists explained, these compounds give tea a bright color, which means that quite a lot of them are also contained in herbal teas.