February 24, 2025

Drink Tea Like Your Heart Depends On It...Because It Just Might...

Studies Show Drinking Enough of the Right Teas can Lead to Improved Cardiovascular Health...

There may be an important connection between heart health and tea...

A great deal of research has been done over decades to determine if a connection exists between Camellia sinensis (the tea plant) and cardiovascular wellbeing.

Exploring the accumulated findings gives us greater insight into evidence supporting the connection between tea and heart health.

Here are some thoughts...you decide...

Research is ongoing, but evidence has been piling up. Extensive studies are being conducted on cardiac events, cholesterol reduction, and Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) risk factors.

I've taken a closer look to better understand heart health, how to stay mindful of it in our daily lives, and the role that tea can play. I've filtered the medical research and converted it to my student-of-tea perspective.

How do we define cardiovascular health?...

Think of Cardiovascular Health as the health of the heart and blood vessels...

Our first thought when we hear "cardiovascular health" is of our heart, but cardiovascular wellbeing extends beyond the heart to the rest of the circulatory system...the blood-carrying vessels that make it up.

What is Cardiovascular Disease?...

Cardiovascular Disease, or CVD, is not one but numerous conditions, including Coronary Heart Disease, Cerebrovascular Disease, and Rheumatic Heart Disease, to name a few. The American Heart Association tells us that CVDs are the leading cause of death globally, tallying almost 18 million each year.

What are the primary conditions leading to Cardiovascular Disease?...

Many forms of the more general term heart disease are related to the buildup of plaque in arteries, narrowing the channel size of the vessels, and making it more difficult for blood to flow.

In some cases, this condition, Atherosclerosis, can block blood flow if a blood clot forms, leading to a heart attack or stroke.

Blocked blood flow is the common denominator in both heart attack and stroke. With a heart attack, part of the heart muscle is blocked and begins to die. In a stroke, blockage to part of the brain can result in loss of the functions it controls.

How does plaque build up in our circulatory system?...

Plaque buildup that narrows arteries and restricts blood flow is made up of fats, and the two major concerns are saturated fats and trans fats. If our diet includes substantial amounts of these, bad cholesterol (LDL) levels in our blood are raised. Increased LDL, along with other predisposed factors, combine to create plaque buildup.

When blood pressure remains high, artery damage can occur, making them prone to plaque formation by creating lodging locations for plaque.
Excessive sugar in the blood can also damage blood vessel walls, leading to atherosclerosis.
Overdoing it with alcohol can lead to high blood pressure, artery damage, and plaque formation.
Without exercise, the risk of becoming overweight increases, leading to high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol levels, all of which can contribute to plaque buildup.
Saturated fat is a big one that can lead to atherosclerosis and plaque buildup. Butter, whole-fat dairy products, cheese, marbled meat, processed meat, and some oils are things to pay attention to and limit consumption of.
Trans fats taste great, but they damage arteries and can be deposited in the form of plaque. Reading labels and avoiding processed foods with trans fats can help you avoid overconsumption.
Dietary cholesterol - meat, eggs, cheese, and dairy products are all rich in dietary cholesterol and can be a reason for plaque buildup.
Smoking...need I say more? Nicotine can damage the arterial lining, leading to damaged arteries and easy plaque buildup.

Play the long game...it's all about lifestyle...

The good news is that, if we choose to, we can play a critical role in influencing our heart health.

We can work on this every day, continually improving the choices we make to conduct our lives. We are living in the age of information, and do not have the dominating issue that our ancestors did...they did not know better.

My grandmother could have made Martha Stewart look like a novice in the kitchen, but a case could be made that my grandfather only made it to his late 60s because he succumbed to butter.

In those times, there were no such things as nutrition labels or seat belts...but there was also little fast food.

No, lack of information is not our issue today...we know better.

We will get to the opportunity tea offers for cardiovascular wellbeing in a moment, but with a clearer understanding of the causes of plaque buildup, here are a few foods to add to your diet to improve heart health by assisting in preventing plaque buildup...

Lightly steamed or raw Asparagus.
The superfood Avocado: add to salads, sandwiches & smoothies to both reduce blood cholesterol and increase HDL's artery-plaque-unclogging ability.
Broccoli can help lower LDL and blood pressure, helping prevent plaque buildup.
Increase HDL (good cholesterol) by including Cranberries in your daily diet.
Fish is excellent, including fish high in good fats, cold-water fish like salmon, tuna, mackerel, and sardines.
The best snack food is nuts, providing high vitamin E & monounsaturated fats. Almonds are especially good for heart health.

Readjust through mindfulness, create the conditions for heart health improvement and success...

The American Heart Association states that heart-healthy living involves understanding your risks, making healthy choices, and taking steps to reduce your chances of getting heart disease, including coronary heart disease, the most common type.

Yes, mindfulness. Make good choices and continue to improve. Discipline is the hardest, but if we take a multi-pronged approach, we can transition to a continually improving lifestyle that can lessen our risk of developing heart disease.

Remember DESD...Diet, exercise, sleep, and discipline...

Where does tea come into the heart health picture?...

Tea is included in the diet part, along with the Mediterranean Diet. The right teas play an integral part in our quest for heart health and overall cardiovascular wellbeing.

Tea may just be the best part. Enjoying heart-supporting teas can not only be a blissfully pleasant experience, but adopting a regimen of high-value-content teas has been shown to improve heart health and reduce the risk of not only cardiovascular disease, but can also support weight control, cognitive performance, and boost immunity.

In the publication Tea & Health, The Tea Council of the USA gives us insight into how Camellia sinensis contributes to heart health and lessening the risk of Cardiovascular Disease:

Human population studies have found that people who regularly consume three or more cups of black tea per day have a reduced risk of heart disease and stroke. Clinical studies suggest that the risk reduction associated with tea consumption may be due to improvement in some risk factors for Cardiovascular Disease, including blood vessel function, platelet function, and reduction in oxidative damage.

The Tea & Health report goes on to list dozens of studies supporting both green and black tea's positive results in supporting heart health.

Try balancing your teas, taking comprehensive advantage of Camellia sinensis...

I start my day with outstanding green tea...every morning. This habit started long ago and was intended to make sure I did not miss out on getting the antioxidants I wanted daily.

By midday, I'm often switching over to oolong or black tea, and normally wind up my tea-drinking day with a cup or three of dark tea. Why?

I like the idea of taking advantage of what tea can do for me at different stages of oxidation...the difference between tea types...and I've come to appreciate and savor the nuance and character of the change in Camellia sinensis at its stages of oxidation.

Tea is 10,000 Medicines...

A study done in Japan on more than 40,000 middle-aged men and women who consumed 17 ounces of green tea a day showed a reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 22-33%.

Studies show encouraging results for the consumption of Camellia sinensis to lessen instances of serum cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, heart attack, and stroke.

The advantage of drinking high-value content teas extends way beyond heart health. Adopting a Healthy Tea Lifestyle encourages us to stay disciplined, to do more, to go further, and to benefit from the wide range of preventative attributes of tea.

Tea can be a cornerstone of your wellbeing & longevity quest, as well as an incentive, influencing behavioral changes that work together to create a better you...

Coming along with supporting heart health, the benefits of discovering and making high-value-content teas part of your lifestyle will be: improved immunity & cognitive function, better sleep, reduced biological age, improved gut microbiome, lower blood pressure, improved circulation, improved vitality...AND a state of euphoria from experiencing the drinking pleasure that quality tea can bring into our lives.

The Tea Council of the USA's summary of tea's role in cardiovascular and heart health suggests that tea has multifunctional mechanisms by which tea flavonoids work in unison to affect endothelial function (the ability of blood vessels to allow proper blood flow), serum cholesterol levels, and LDL cholesterol oxidation.

My take and suggested teas...

By now, you know that I am a believer in tea's place in our quest for wellbeing & longevity. My study of tea & health benefits over decades continues to support the invaluable contribution Camellia sinensis can make to our lifestyle and desire for long-term quality of life.

Research that I have found, while exciting for tea drinkers, normally only specifies a type of tea used in the studies, never a specific tea.

I rely on experience and time studying tea and its effects to make recommendations for teas to enjoy as you journey to improved heart health.

Blood Pressure: Teas that can help with perspective, helping control anxiousness, and allow easier relaxation and sleep. Artery damage from high blood pressure can increase the opportunity for plaque buildup. High L-Theanine teas can help reduce blood pressure, inducing calm and relaxation. View High L-Theanine Teas and learn more about them here...

Improved Blood Flow: Types of tea shown in research studies to help with artery flexibility and improved blood flow, resulting in lower blood pressure. Heart health has long been believed to be the strong suit of Black Teas...See suggested black teas and their benefits here...

LDL Cholesterol Reduction: Teas with a reputation for or clinical study data that supports reduced bad cholesterol levels: The reputation for this unique tea type, Pu-erh and Dark Tea, has been of heart health, both reducing undesirable cholesterol and improving circulation. I have had countless people tell me that adding the consumption of some of these teas to their comprehensive heart-healthy regimen has contributed to lowering LDL and improving heart health. See our Golden Flower Tea here... and See our complete Dark Tea Collection here...

The bottom line...lots of impressive evidence of the right teas influencing heart health and cardiovascular wellbeing encourages us to take advantage of the possibilities with tea...

It is for you to decide. I've tried to decipher the research and lay out what I've experienced with tea.

I don't see tea as a stand-alone answer, but as a component of a comprehensive wellbeing lifestyle that should be adopted for those looking for long-term quality of life...

Thanks for listening...and drink tea like your heart depends on it...because it just might...

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