written by Ryan Oakeson, edited by Dr Joshua Weiss
When it comes to our health — whether mental or physical — we often look for the “magic” pill that’s going to make it all better. Corporations are smart when it comes to appealing to this desire; they often market their products with deliberate exaggerations and sell products that don’t always turn out as advertised. This may lead to mistrust and self-doubt—is there anything out there that can genuinely help me on my health journey? The beautiful thing about Life Medicine is that we’re not here to advertise any specific product or magic pills. We’re here to help you to weigh your options and consider lifestyle choices that are proven by science to help you make the changes you want to without any gimmicks or empty promises. Though we do have a few pearls that might help you along the way…
This instalment will focus on a simple product that you can buy the next time you’re at the grocery store to help take care of your body. It’s all-natural and easy to find. It’s tea!
As I was writing this post, I steeped a cup of green tea to enjoy while researching. I already had the topic of heart health and tea consumption in mind. I didn’t know much about it before my own research, though I was excited to share my findings. It was ironic—as I was putting my box of bags back in the cupboard, I noticed part of the label stated: “can help support a healthy heart”. I smiled and wondered, how many people were buying tea with the intention of heart health, how much tea should be consumed for optimal support, and are there any differences between black and green and herbal tea? So let’s dive in and answer these and other questions. Whether you do or don’t already drink tea, I’m about to spill it.
For several decades, researchers have been examining the beneficial effects of tea on cardiovascular health. One 2010 paper examined the benefits of tea for coronary artery disease - excessive plaque buildup in the heart’s arteries - and demonstrated that green tea had a greater effect of 28% reduced coronary artery disease risk than black tea, which didn’t really show any risk reduction. Another paper analyzed intake of coffee, black, green, and oolong tea in Japanese men and women and found that moderate consumption (>1 cups a day) of caffeinated coffee, green, and oolong tea had a relationship with lower mortality risk rate from cardiovascular disease. Unbelievably, significant consumption of green tea decreased womens’ risk of dying of cardiovascular disease by 38% and oolong tea (>1 cup/day) decreased men’s risk of dying by 61%!
A paper published in 2000 found that there is clear data here to suggest that tea—green tea in particular—can prevent heart and arterial disease by decreasing cholesterol and reduced blood pressure. Other papers found tea has natural anti-platelet, anti-inflammatory, and mechanisms to help manage cholesterol found in tea. But what exactly could it be in the tea that is doing all of this?
Polyphenols!
What exactly are polyphenols? They are naturally occurring metabolites in plants that, when consumed, behave as dietary antioxidants. Antioxidants can help prevent and manage various cancers and cardiovascular conditions (Mukhtar & Ahmad, 2000; Pandey & Rizvi, 2009). There are lots of different polyphenols, most of which are found in fruits and vegetables. But when tea leaves are harvested, dried, and then brewed, the polyphenols that naturally occur in the leaves become concentrated and ready to be absorbed by you, the tea drinker!
So next time you wake up and feel the need for that caffeine boost to get you going or midway through the day to keep you going, think about your alternatives to coffee and energy drinks. You could add a quick cup of tea along alongside your coffee, not only to zest up your daily routine, but to introduce those precious polyphenols into your diet. It may not be a magic pill, but drinking tea is a great place to start for preventing our risk of heart disease and optimizing our health. It’s your life, tea can make it last longer!