Tea polyphenols benefit vascular function

L. M. Yung, F. P. Leung, W. T. Wong, X. Y. Tian, L. H. Yung, Z. Y. Chen, X. Q. Yao, Y. Huang

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

64 Scopus citations

Abstract

Tea, the most popular beverage worldwide, is consumed in three basic forms; green tea, black tea and oolong tea. Tea contains over 4,000 chemicals some of which are bioactive. In recent years there has been a mounting interest in understanding the cardiovascular and metabolic benefits of polyphenolic flavonoids in tea, which can be used as a supplement among patients. Diverse cardioprotective effects of consuming tea or tea polyphenols have been described on pathological conditions, e. g. hypertension, atherosclerosis, diabetics, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, and are attributed to antioxidative, anti-thrombogenic, anti-inflammatory, hypotensive and hypocholesterolemic properties of tea polyphenols. This review focuses on cardiovascular benefits of tea polyphenols based on in vitro and in vivo studies on experimental animal models and on studies of human subjects in four areas: (1) vasorelaxant effect; (2) protective effect against endothelial dysfunction; (3) antioxidant effect and (4) hypolipidemic effect. We will briefly discuss the effects of tea on atherosclerosis and hypertension.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)230-234
Number of pages5
JournalInflammopharmacology
Volume16
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2008

Keywords

  • Antioxidant effect
  • Atherosclerosis
  • Endothelial dysfunction
  • Hypertension
  • Hypolipidemic effect
  • Nitric oxide
  • Tea polyphenols
  • Vasorelaxant effect

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Immunology
  • Pharmacology
  • Pharmacology (medical)

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