Tea: Can Tea Drinking Reverse Endothelial Dysfunction?

Tea: Can Tea Drinking Reverse Endothelial Dysfunction?Copyright (c) 2007 Marcus StoutGolden Moon Teahttp://www.GoldenMoonTea.comEndothelial dysfunction is a precursor to heart disease. It isoften seen years before actual heart disease. In fact, it isestimated that about half of those over the age of 40 haveendothelial dysfunction.The endothelium is the cells that line the inner surface of allblood vessels including arteries and veins. When the endotheliumis functioning properly, it is responsible for mediation ofcoagulation, platelet adhesion, immune function, and control ofvolume and electrolyte content of the intravascular and extravascular spaces.When the endothelium does not function properly, veins andarteries have difficulty dilating properly. These problems arethought to be the precursor to atherosclerosis, which is aleading cause of heart disease.Several things can cause endothelial dysfunction, includingcigarette smoking and diseases like high blood pressure anddiabetes. Diets high in fat and cholesterol can also affect thefunction of the endothelium.One interesting piece of research surrounding protectingendothelial function is a study reported by the American HeartAssociation. This study examined patients who already hadcoronary artery disease. Sixty-six patients with heart diseaseparticipated in the study, which provided them with a beveragesupplement each day.Some of the participants received a supplement of black tea whileothers received only water. They were tested 2 hours afterreceipt of their first supplement and 4 weeks after they had beenreceiving the supplements daily.This study concluded that tea had a positive effect on arterydilation as early as two hours after consumption. In addition,long term consumption of tea helped artery dilation long term, aswell. The patients who received the water supplement showed noimprovement.In addition, some patients were treated with a supplement of justcaffeine, to try and determine if the caffeine in tea was theingredient that provided the effect.The study showed that the patients receiving a caffeinesupplement did not show the improvement in artery dilation thatwas seen by the participants who drank tea. So, we know that teacontains other important substances that help improve endothelialfunction besides just caffeine.The substances likely responsible for tea's ability to improveendothelial function are tea's anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants areimportant to our bodies for many reasons. The most importantfunction of anti-oxidants is the scavenging of free radicals.Free radicals are oxygen containing molecules that are formed asa by-product of our digestive process.Left unchecked, they can damage our cells and DNA, causingdamage, aging and disease. But, anti-oxidants scavenge these freeradicals before they can cause damage.In addition to the powerful anti-oxidants contained in tea,fruits and vegetables contain anti-oxidants as does coffee, wineand chocolate. Ensuring that your diet is full of anti-oxidantsis important to many aspects of your health.Your diet is important, in particular, to preventing or treatingheart disease. In addition to ensuring that your diet is rich inanti-oxidants, there are some other things you can do to helpyour heart. It's important to remove trans fats from your dietentirely.Read product labels looking for the words hydrogenated orpartially hydrogenated. If you see these words in theingredients, there are trans fats, which are believed to have aparticularly negative effect on your endothelial function.Reduce your level of other saturated fats, too. This meansreducing the amount of red meat and egg yolks you consume; makingthe bulk of your protein come from fish, poultry and low fatdairy products. Choosing lean meats that are lower in fat andcholesterol can make a big difference in the health of yourheart.Another important factor in reducing endothelial dysfunction iscontrolling your weight. Eat right and get regular exercise toensure that your weight falls within a normal range. Losingweight can help control your blood pressure and cholesterollevels, too, which are important to ensuring proper endothelialfunction and preventing heart disease. Exercise is especiallyimportant.Exercise can lower your cholesterol and blood pressure, help youlose weight and help you gain muscle. Gaining muscle mass canhelp you burn more calories even when resting and can help youstay strong as you age. Aim for some form of cardiovascularexercise 3-5 times a week and strength training 2-3 times aweek.And, of course, don't forget your daily dose of tea. Whether youlike it hot or iced, tea is a great way to help get your dose ofanti-oxidants and protect your heart. You can choose black tea,or if you prefer, green tea. Green tea, in particular has beenlinked to the prevention of many diseases, including some formsof cancer.And, while black tea is still the most popular form of tea in theWestern world, green tea is gaining popularity rapidly because ofits health benefits. But, whatever tea you choose, you can besure that you're protecting your health, and your heart.----------------------------------------------------------Marcus Stout is President of the Golden Moon Tea Company. For more information about tea, (http://www.goldenmoontea.com/greentea) green tea (http://www.goldenmoontea.com/blacktea) and black tea go to http://www.goldenmoontea.com