AsianScientist (Aug. 30, 2016) – Japan’s favorite beverage might be offering more than just a relaxing tea break, as researchers have discovered that it has protective effects against artery swelling in rats. Their work was published in the Journal of Vascular Surgery.
Abdominal aortic aneurysms is a condition in which the main artery in the body becomes overstretched and bloated. These aneurysms often go unnoticed because there are no symptoms until they burst, and must be treated surgically if the bloating is discovered early enough.
Recent research has pointed to a host of health benefits from drinking green tea, including the prevention of cancer, cardiovascular disease, inflammation and oxidation.
“The type of polyphenol found in green tea has recently been shown to regenerate elastin, an essential protein that gives the artery its stretchy, yet sturdy, texture,” said Kyoto University’s Dr. Shuji Setozaki, the study’s lead author.
In the study, the research team treated rats with enzymes to induce abdominal aortic aneurysm. The rats that were given green tea polyphenol, a major component of green tea, developed abdominal aortic aneurysms less frequently. They also had lower levels of inflammation and greater elastin production, protecting the artery from rupture. In rats that received no treatment, the abdominal aortic aneurysms eventually ruptured and led to death 50 percent of the time.
“Japanese people have the longest lifespan in the world, and studies show that 80 percent of the population drink green tea on a daily basis,” said co-author Dr. Hidetoshi Masumoto. “We believe daily intake of green tea should be considered as a new preventative strategy for abdominal aortic aneurysm, and the focus of future studies will be to investigate optimal doses.”
The article can be found at: Setozaki et al. (2016) Prevention of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Progression by Oral Administration of Green Tea Polyphenol in a Rat Model.
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Source: Kyoto University.
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