What Makes Tea So Effective At Preventing Heart Disease?

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Article Title:

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What Makes Tea So Effective At Preventing Heart Disease?

Article Description:

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Many bodies of research have shown that tea is effective at

preventing heart disease in several ways. Tea prevents the

oxidation of LDL cholesterol into plaque, the hard substance that

clogs our arteries, making us more susceptible to heart attacks

and strokes. Tea is also thought to have an anti-inflammatory

effect, which helps the heart in its overall function.

Additional Article Information:

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812 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line

Distribution Date and Time: 2007-02-02 11:00:00

Written By: Jon M. Stout

Copyright: 2007

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What Makes Tea So Effective At Preventing Heart Disease?

Copyright © 2007 Jon M. Stout

Golden Moon Tea

http://www.GoldenMoonTea.com

Many bodies of research have shown that tea is effective at

preventing heart disease in several ways. Tea prevents the

oxidation of LDL cholesterol into plaque, the hard substance that

clogs our arteries, making us more susceptible to heart attacks

and strokes. Tea is also thought to have an anti-inflammatory

effect, which helps the heart in its overall function.

In addition to these two important benefits of drinking tea,

there is also evidence that tea consumption reverses endothelial

dysfunction, one of the precursors to atherosclerosis and heart

disease. Endothelial dysfunction can appear years before heart

disease symptoms. Therefore, if we can prevent or reverse this

problem, heart disease may be prevented before it starts.

The endothelium is the cells that line the inner surface of all

blood vessels including arteries and veins. When the endothelium

is functioning properly, it is responsible for mediation of

coagulation, platelet adhesion, immune function, and control of

volume and electrolyte content of the intravascular and extra

vascular spaces.

Endothelial dysfunction can be caused by a variety of things,

including cigarette smoking and diseases like high blood pressure

and diabetes. When the endothelium does not function properly,

veins and arteries have difficulty dilating properly.

These problems are thought to be the precursor to

atherosclerosis, which is a leading cause of heart disease.

However, endothelial dysfunction can be prevented and reversed by

watching your diet, exercising and drinking tea.

But, just how does tea help prevent and reverse heart disease?

There are many theories, and it's likely that we won't know the

exact answer for many more years.

We do know that part of the answer is tea's anti-oxidants.

Anti-oxidants have the power to neutralize the free radicals that

our bodies create as a by product of digestion. These free

radicals can damage our bodies and lead to disease; but

anti-oxidants can protect us against their damage. Tea is one of

the best sources of anti-oxidants around.

There are several substances in tea that are thought to be

effective. These include catechins, which are polyphenolic

antioxidant plant metabolites, specifically flavonoids called

flavan-3-ols. EGCG is the most potent of these.

It has been widely assumed that these catechins are the most

important attributes of tea, and that they are the active

ingredient that prevents heart disease. But, one research study

suggests that it may not be these catechins in tea that are so

important, after all.

This study, conducted by Boston University, showed that chronic

consumption of these specific catechins in tea did not raise the

plasma anti-oxidant activity as expected. However, the tea still

had the overall protective effect.

So, this study concluded that it may be some other flavonol in

tea that is so effective in preventing endothelial dysfunction

and other contributors to heart disease. Or, it may be the

combination of all the flavonols in tea that work collectively to

provide the protective effect.

Whatever the cause, we know that tea is good for you and that it

is effective in preventing many forms of disease, not just heart

disease. Tea has also been shown to prevent many forms of cancer,

as well as Alzheimer's disease.

Many research studies have shown a connection between tea

drinking and cancer. Asian cultures, where green tea is consumed

in very large quantities, for example, have a much lower

incidence of cancer than the rest of the world. They also have a

lower risk for cardiovascular disease – even in Japan, where 75%

of the men are smokers.

Tea has been shown to prevent lung cancer – even in smokers, and

has also been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer, prostate

cancer, digestive system cancer, oral cancer and liver cancer. It

has even been shown to be effective in preventing skin cancer

when given orally or applied topically.

Tea has also been shown to have a protective effect on brain

cells. This means that it may have the power to protect the brain

cells from the chemicals in the brain that sometimes damage brain

cells, causing Alzheimer's disease.

We don't know why the brain's chemicals sometimes begin to kill

off its cells, but there is evidence that tea can prevent this

process. So, it's important for all of us to add tea to our

diets to protect our health.

It's hard to believe that something so simple, and so common, in

our everyday lives could be such an important way to protect our

health; yet it appears that tea is just that. Tea is the most

widely consumed beverage in the world, after water, and it

appears that we should be drinking even more of it.

So, make sure that you're getting your regular dose of tea.

Whether it's green or black, hot or cold, brewed or bottled, tea

is a great way to protect your health. So, what are you waiting

for? Go make yourself a cup of tea!

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Jon M. Stout is the Chairman of the Golden Moon Tea Company.

Golden Moon Tea carefully selects the finest rare and orthodox

teas, which are processed slowly and handcrafted with extreme

care. At their website, you can learn more about their current

tea offerings, including their exceptional green tea

(http://www.goldenmoontea.com/greentea), white tea, black

tea, oolong tea (also known as wu-long and wu long tea -

http://www.goldenmoontea.com/wu-long) and chai. Visit

http://www.goldenmoontea.com for all details concerning

the Golden Moon Tea Company's fine line of teas.