Can tea consumption reduce the risk of CVD? A discussion paper of a recently published cohort study

Sofia –Panagiota Giannakopoulou, Demosthenes Panagiotakos

 


Abstract

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally. Tea contains high amounts of bioactive compounds which exert cardioprotective role through many proposed mechanisms such as regulation of glucose control, lipid metabolism, platelet aggregation, vasodilation and inflammation. In the present article, a prospective cohort study that aimed to investigate the effect of daily tea consumption on the risk of ischemic heart disease is discussed. The analysis of the results showed that there are benefits from daily tea consumption. Although, there is cumulative evidence that tea consumption is associated with reduced risk of CVD, more studies should be conducted in order to establish causal relationship and to better evaluate the impact of tea consumption on cardiovascular health.

Keywords: tea, cardiovascular disease, polyphenols, flavonoids, catechins, ischemic heart disease