How tea can reduce high blood pressure

Green and black tea help reduce high blood pressure (hypertension)—and researchers have finally discovered how they do it.

Compounds in the teas relax blood vessels by activating proteins, say researchers from the University of California at Irvine. These proteins, known as KCNQ5, live in the smooth muscles that line blood vessels, and they are activated by two of the tea’s flavonoid compounds, epicatechin gallate and epigallocatechin-3-gallate.

It doesn’t seem to matter whether the tea is black or green, or if it’s served hot or cold, or if milk is added—they all have the same beneficial effects on the blood vessels. It’s because they all come from the leaves of the evergreen Camellia sinensis plant, and the differences between the teas is determined by the fermentation process.

With a third of the world’s adult population suffering from hypertension, drinking a few extra cups of tea every day could be one of the best ways to reduce the problem.

(Source: Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry, 2021; doi: 10.33594/000000337)

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