Green Tea Consumption and Prevention of Coronary Artery Disease

Abstract

consecutive patients (379 men, 141 women) who underwent coronary arteriography for the first time. They found that green tea intake was associated with a reduced risk of CAD in male patients, with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 0.62 (95%CI 0.38–1.01) compared with those who did not drink green tea. Compared with non-tea drinkers, the adjusted ORs were 1.09 (0.61–1.96) in male patients consuming less than 125 g of dried green tea leaves per month, 0.36 (0.19–0.71) for 125–249 g/month, and 0.36 (0.17–0.73) for ≥250 g/month, with a statistically significant test for trend (P<0.001). Similar dose–response relationships were also observed for frequency, duration, concentration, and starting age of green tea drinking in male patients. In female patients, no inverse association was found between green tea intake and CAD. Data from China are important because green tea is consumed primarily in Japan, China, Indonesia, and Vietnam, 4 but rarely in other countries. Moreover, data on the association between green tea consumption and CAD are limited, 5,6 in comparison with that for stroke.7 Green tea polyphenols, especially (−)-epigallocatechin-3gallate (EGCG), might explain the observed association with lower odds of CAD. A number of mechanisms, including radical scavenging and antioxidant properties, have been proposed for the beneficial effects of green tea in different models of chronic disease. Tea has been reported to have