Green tea may reduce heart attack risk, study suggests

According to a new study released in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, a compound found in green tea might be a powerful ally in the fight against heart disease. The beverage contains a molecule that could help prevent the buildup of plaque in the arteries.

To be scientificially precise, the molecule is called epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, and may help stave off atherosclerosis, characterized by the buildup of plaque in the arteries. Atherosclerosis can dramatically increase the risk of a heart attack or other cardiac episode.

These results seem promising, but maybe don’t go stocking up on green tea just yet. Since the concentration of EGCG is relatively small in your typical cup of hot tea, you’d have to drink a ton to get enough of it to make a difference — which is not something that the study authors recommend.

“I would certainly not recommend that people drink excessive amounts of green tea,” David Middleton, co-author of the study, told The Daily Meal in an email. “Many food substances taken in excess can, of course, be harmful, and there is evidence that very large doses of green tea can cause liver and kidney damage.”

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t drink any green tea, either.

More