Is Green Tea Good for Blood Pressure? by LIVESTRONG.COM
Overview
Blood pressure is a measurement of the force of your blood
pushing against the walls of arteries as the heart beats and pumps
out blood. About one in three Americans get HPB, or high blood
pressure, at some point in their lives. It is a silent killer
because if your blood pressure is high, there are usually no
symptoms, but it can lead to coronary heart disease, stroke, blood
vessels damage, blindness and kidney problems. So, it is important
to check and control high blood pressure to prevent damage to your
body's organs. Green tea can be helpful in managing your high blood
pressure; however, you must take green tea only under the
supervision of a physician.
Plant Description
Green tea is a product made from the prepared leaves and leaf
buds of the Camellia sinensis plant. It's an evergreen shrub,
native to mainland South and Southeast Asia. Today, green tea is
the most widely consumed beverage in the world, excluding water. In
modern Chinese medicine and culture, green tea and green tea
extract have been consumed to promote health.
Green Tea Composition
The buds and young leaves have been found to contain the highest
concentration of green tea phyto compounds, which are thought to be
responsible for producing therapeutic effects. These include
polyphenols, flavonoids, volatile oils, alkaloids, caffeine,
polysaccharides, vitamins and minerals.
Green Tea and Blood Pressure
Green tea is a natural high blood pressure remedy. It can assist
you with high blood pressure because it keeps the arteries from
narrowing by repressing ACE, or angiotensin converting enzyme,
according to the Pennington Biomedical Research Center. ACE is a
proteolytic enzyme secreted by the kidneys that reduces the
elasticity of smooth muscles surrounding the arteries, blocking the
normal flow of blood and raising blood pressure.
Precautions
Green tea is generally safe for most adults when used in
recommended doses. But, drinking or supplementing with green tea
can lead to some adverse effects among pregnant and breastfeeding
women. Green tea contains caffeine that can pass into breast milk
and trigger side effects in nursing infants, such as sleep
deprivation and insomnia. People with gastric disorders must avoid
consuming green tea in larger quantities, since it stimulates the
production of stomach acid that causes heartburn.
References
Read more:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/368407-is-green-tea-good-for-blood-pressure/#ixzz1CcQvx9dj
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