Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a condition which effects millions of people all over the world and the World Health Organization has named it as the number one risk factor for cardiac mortality, since it can easily lead to fatal heart attacks. While there are a number of prescription drugs on the market to treat this, all of them come with unwanted and sometimes dangerous side effects.
That is why more people are turning to natural therapies to help treat this condition. One such therapy is the consumption of green tea, which studies have shown can have a great positive impact on elevated blood pressure. Read on to find out more.
What’s in Green Tea
Green tea, after pure water, is considered by many to be the healthiest drink on the planet. This is mostly because of the amazing active ingredients it contains. To begin with, it is a rich source of antioxidants and polyphenols, both of which are considered to have anti-aging and other healthful properties. One group of polyphenols green tea is particularly rich in are flavonoids. The flavonoid which has gained the most attention in recent years is a catechin called epigallocatechin-3-gallate, better known as EGCG. This is what appears to be responsible for many of the green tea’s benefits, include its benefits for blood pressure.
What the Research Shows
The latest research has proven hopeful for those who are looking for natural ways to control their blood pressure. In a review of literature published in the British Journal of Nutrition, for instance, over 25 studies of green tea were analyzed, and the researchers concluded that regular consumption of green tea did, in fact, have a proven normalizing effect on high blood pressure.
In one study, for instance, scientists found that, after drinking green tea daily for 12 weeks, that participants with high blood pressure experienced a drop of 2.6 mmHg for their systolic blood pressure (the upper number) and a drop of 2.2mmHg for their diastolic blood pressure (lower number). This may sound modest, but those number translate into reducing the risk of stroke by 8% and the risk of coronary artery disease by 4%. However, most studies consistently showed that in order to reap the benefit of green tea, it needs to be consumed in fairly high quantities, around 3-4 cups daily. While this may sound like a lot, however, the health benefits received from it would make it well worth the effort.
So if you are concerned about hypertension but do not necessarily want to start using prescription medications because of their side effects, then you might want to consider the use of green tea – along with a healthy lifestyle – to help normalize your blood pressure levels and reduce your risk of heart disease and other serious conditions.
Sources: nature.com, nutraingredients-usa.com, healthday.com
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