Green Tea benefits fight against
Heart Disease

Written by Gloria Tsang, RD
Published in September 2006

Study found that green tea reduces death rates from heart disease

Researchers from Tohoku University in Japan investigated data of more than 400,000 participants aged 40 to 79 years. These individuals were followed for 11 years, and the death rates from heart disease, cancer and other causes were analyzed. Researchers found that the heart disease death rate from participants who drank more than five cups of green tea daily is 26 percent lower in the first seven years of study. In addition, researchers found that the benefits of green tea appeared to be stronger in women than men. The results of this study were published in the Journal of American Medical Association in September 2006.

Editor's Note - Still early to crown green tea

Tea is the most commonly consumed beverage in the world after water. Green tea, in particular, has been touted heavily for its potential role in preventing cancer and heart disease. Green tea contains polyphenol catechins, a type of antioxidant, which may help protect our body from free radical damage. Indeed, tea ranks as high as or higher than many fruits and vegetables in the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity or ORAC score, which measures antioxidant potential of plant-based foods.

Despite of its high level of catechins, green tea's status as a health food is still inconclusive based on current evidence. Indeed, the FDA just rejected green tea's heart health claim after reviewing 105 studies in May 2006 and concluded that there is "no credible scientific evidence" to support qualified heart health claims. In addition, FDA also turned down a request of green tea's cancer health claim in June 2005.