Heart Beat: Green tea: beverage, not medicine
Heart Beat
Green tea: beverage, not medicine
Is green tea good for your heart? Not according to the FDA, which has rejected a tea company's claim that drinking a cup of green tea a day might help ward off heart disease.
Ito En, Ltd. of Japan and North America wanted to put this health claim on packages of green tea: "Daily consumption of at least 5 fluid ounces (150 mL) of green tea as a source of catechins may reduce a number of risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease." (Catechins are plant compounds in the flavonoid family that can act as powerful antioxidants.) In its petition to the FDA, the company claimed that drinking green tea or taking green tea extract lowers blood pressure and cholesterol and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD, meaning heart disease or stroke).
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