Nobody wants their arteries to explode – green tea could help. According to a study out of Kyoto University, green tea could prevent a deadly condition in the body’s main artery. A team has found that abdominal aortic aneurysm – a condition in which the main artery becomes overstretched and bloated – developed less frequently in rats that drank green tea polyphenol, a major component of green tea. The researchers saw that, in rats, the condition developed less frequently when they drank green tea polyphenol, which is a major component of green tea.
It is of paramount importance to treat these abdominal aortic aneurysms as, if left untreated, they eventually rupture and lead to death 50 percent of the time.
“Abdominal aortic aneurysms often go unnoticed because there are no symptoms until they burst,” said one of the authors of the study. “If a patient is lucky and bloating is found before rupture, it needs to be treated surgically, such as by transplanting an artificial blood vessel or inserting a stent graft. At the moment there are no pharmacological treatments.”
There are other benefits to drinking green tea, including the prevention of cancer, cardiovascular disease, inflammation, and oxidation, but it could also be a less-invasive alternative treatment for abdominal aortic aneurysms.
“The type of polyphenol found in green tea has recently been shown to regenerate elastin, and essential protein that give the artery its stretchy, yet sturdy, texture,” said the lead author. “Considering that abdominal arterial aneurysms are caused by inflammation and the degradation of elastin components in the arterial wall, we thought drinking green tea may show promise for treatment.”
The moral of the story is that as a preventative measure, drink green tea on a regular basis. Not only will you receive the other benefits, but could also prevent abdominal aortic aneurysms.
Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.
