Green Tea Compound Improves Cardiovascular Profile

Green tea contains between 30 and 40% polyphenols, potent antioxidant compounds; specifically, green tea is abundant in epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG).  Pawel Bogdanski, from Poznan University of Medical Sciences (Poland), and colleagues enrolled 56 obese, hypertensive men and women and assigned each to consume either 379 mg per day of green tea extract (providing 208 mg of EGCG), or placebo, for a three-month period.  The team observed that green tea extract consumption was associated with an average decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure of 4.9 and 4.7 mmHg, respectively; as compared to 0.8 and 0.6 mmHg decreases, respectively, among the placebo group. Additionally, LDL and HDL cholesterol levels, as well as insulin and blood sugar levels, were beneficially improved among the participants receiving the green tea extract. C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation, decrease by 0.9 mg/L among the green tea extract supplemented group, whereas it increased by 0.11 mg/L in the placebo group. The study authors conclude that: "daily supplementation [of green tea extract] favorably influences blood pressure, insulin resistance, inflammation and oxidative stress, and lipid profile in patients with obesity-related hypertension.”