Recently an article was
published on various online news outlets about green tea and its effects on a
certain medication for hypertension. This same study is slated to be published
in the journal Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics which will lend it much
credibility in the eyes of many in the medical establishment. The study says,
in part, that if a person is being treated for hypertension with a drug called
nadolol (market name Corgard) they should not drink green tea. After careful
consideration of the study findings I believe some of the issues associated
with the study itself and the effects of green tea should be discussed.
"The Study"
Let us begin with the fact that this study was conducted with ten
(10) people. Yes, you read that correctly and it is not a typo. Only ten
people were used for this "study" and they were consuming the drug
nadolol for only for two weeks. In addition, the ten individuals used in the study were
between the ages of 20 and 30 with no known health issues including
hypertension. None of them had high blood pressure so the effect of the green
tea's interaction with the drug and its supposed effect on preventing the
treatment of hypertension could not be established since it was not (and could
not be) studied.
Also, no evidence of a cause and effect relationship between the
drug nadolol and green tea was established. The researchers do not know why or
how green tea is affecting the absorption of the drug or if it is affecting it at
all. The scientist involved in the study "believe" that the
antioxidant ECGC found in the tea is the culprit. As far I as can tell belief
is a matter of faith and faith belongs firmly within the realm of religion and
spirituality not science. If scientist wish to tell people that green tea is
hazardous to their health they should diligently provide proof using the very
scientific method we were all taught in grade school.
To add insult to injury the "test" subjects drank 3-4
cups of green tea per day. This represents an amount of tea that is double the average
amount of green tea consumed by average tea drinking Americans. This fact makes
the study dubious and misleading on its own.
Benefits of Green Tea
The sad irony of this study is that one of the many benefits of
green tea is its ability to lower blood pressure. Angiotensin-converting
enzymes (ACE) contributes to high blood pressure under certain situations and
green tea helps to inhibit its production. Many people are on blood pressure
lowering medications known as ACE inhibitors that have harmful side effects.
Green tea is a natural ACE inhibitor with no known side effects. It should be
noted the nadolol is not an ACE inhibitor but a beta blocker, however, the
point of this message is the blood pressure relieving powers of green
tea.
Also, green tea helps to do many things like stimulate brain
activity for increased clarity, reduce the chances of bacterial food poisoning
by preventing the growth of E. coli and other harmful pathogens and helps to
maintain proper blood glucose levels for those wishing to prevent or control
diabetes.
There are many more benefits offered
by consuming green tea that are therapeutic and pleasing to the body without
harmful side effects. It should, in no way, be demonized especially by such a
crudely crafted study.
Conclusion
The unfortunate truth these days is that we live in a sound bite
world where most people get their news from headlines. Even television
news stories have taken on the cloak of superficiality and seldom report the
details of anything. Not only is this practice costly but potentially
devastating especially to our health. It is important more and more that we
move beyond the headlines and peek behind the veil for the full story
especially when it pertains to our health!
