I recently ran across a June 2013 study by the Division of Health Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK that looks into Green and Black Tea and Cardiovascular Health and its possible effect on prevention of CVD. Seeing as there is an unending supply of either uninformed or flat out false claims on the health benefits of tea circulating the internet I wanted to share something that seems to be promising. Enough of the “Drink this tea, lose 20 lbs!” mumbo jumbo you see all over social media.. this study actually shows some promise unlike some of the other claims.
The Participants:
821 people participated in the study with 11 Randomized controlled trials (basically broken into 11 groups). The participants were a mixture of both healthy adults and those with a high risk of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD).
The Administration:
The trials focused on the intake of green and black tea or tea extracts. Seven trials focused on green tea while the other four focused on black tea. Each trial took place over a minimum of three months. The trials of both green and black tea were analyzed separately from each other to gain insight into their individual effect on Cardiovascular Disease (CVD).
The Results:
Black tea produced statistically significant reductions in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and blood pressure both systolic and diastolic over a six month period. Green tea consumption also resulted in statistically significant reductions in both LDL cholesterol and blood pressure. While there haven’t been enough long-term studies done to provide a definitive answer, the limited testing that has been done provides a cautiously optimistic outlook on both green and black tea and the prevention of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD). So starting today, put down the coffee and replace it with a glass of green or black tea. You just might be doing something good for your body.
If you would like to review the information of this study more in depth visit its PubMed page: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23780706