The Monumental Benefits Tea Has On the Heart

If you want to boost your wellness, consider adding heart healthy teas to your diet. Tea has long been used as a natural medicine. Today, science has proven that drinking tea can help your heart health. 

Today, we’ll define cardiovascular health and what conditions you want to avoid. You’ll also learn about four beneficial compounds in tea that can help your heart health. In the end, you’ll discover the best tea for heart health and the dos and don’ts for making the most of the nutrients in your tea. 

What is Cardiovascular Health?

This refers to the health of your blood vessels and heart. This can include your cardiac health like the strength of your heart and all its muscles. Cardiovascular health can also encompass your vascular health in relation to your blood vessels which regulate your cholesterol and blood pressure.

Common Cardiovascular Conditions

You must maintain good cardiovascular health for your overall wellness and your longevity. Believe it or not, heart healthy teas may help decrease the likelihood or help improve some cardiovascular conditions. Common conditions include heart disease or cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure or hypertension, and strokes.

Heart Disease - Cardiovascular Disease

This can include heart failure where the heart can’t pump blood efficiently. Heart attacks and the narrowing of coronary arteries are also types of heart disease. 

Hypertension - High Blood Pressure

This can result in very serious complications like stroke, heart disease, and even kidney problems. With high blood pressure, the speed or force of the blood is consistently too high, which stresses the artery walls.

Stoke

A stroke may cause disabilities and permanent brain damage depending on where it’s located and the strength of the episode. A stroke happens when the blood flow to the brain suddenly stops. This can be caused by a ruptured blood vessel or a blockage.

4 Important Heart Healthy Compounds In Tea

You drink tea knowing that it’s healthy for you, but do you know why it’s healthy? Heart healthy tea is rich in compounds that contribute to your wellness in both unique ways and similar ways. Here are four of the most important compounds in tea.

1. Antioxidants to Lower Stroke and Heart Disease

One of the best ways to add antioxidants to your diet is with food and drink. The antioxidants in tea may help lower your risk of stroke or heart disease by reducing oxidative stress. The antioxidants found in tea are abundant and include vitamins E and C.

2. Polyphenols to Reduce Cardiovascular Disease

This wide group of plant compounds is known for its antioxidant benefits. Free Radicals may contribute to cell damage and increase the likelihood of developing cardiovascular diseases. Polyphenols help neutralize free radicals and are found in heart healthy teas. 

3. Flavonoids to Lower the Risk of Coronary Disease

These are a type of polyphenol that has antioxidant effects — it also has anti-inflammatory effects. Flavonoids may help lower blood pressure by aiding blood vessels and reducing bad cholesterol (LDL). They can help improve endothelial function — the function of the cells lining the blood vessels — to help reduce your risk of coronary disease.

4. Catechins to Reduce Cholesterol Levels

There are six kinds of catechins found in green tea, but one in particular (EGCG) has been studied for its potential anti-cancer properties. Catechins are a flavonoid found in heart healthy teas that help by reducing cholesterol levels. They may also help reduce the development of blood clots and aid with blood vessel function.

Choosing the Best Tea for Heart Health

Green tea is considered by most the healthiest of all the teas. Overall it has an impressive roster of antioxidant properties and anti-cancer properties to name a few. But green tea isn’t the only healthy tea.

It’s fascinating that true tea leaves are made from the same plant — you would think they all have the same health benefits. But, the way the leaves are processed after they are harvested increases and decreases the benefits of certain compounds and nutrients. Heart healthy teas share a lot in common, but sometimes they have very specific health benefits.

For instance, black tea and green tea have both been studied for their anti-cancer properties and both show a lot of promise. However, the studies benefit very different types of treatment for very different kinds of cancers. The way they interact with cancer cells is unique from one another.

White tea and oolong tea also have great health benefits as do herbal or tisane teas. The tea you choose to drink isn’t as important as the way you drink your tea. How you drink your tea matters if you’re trying to get the most nutrients. 

The Best Ways to Drink Healthy Teas

Are you ready to add a little heart healthy tea to your diet? Fantastic! Because we have some valuable tips for how to make the most of your tea. Here are some dos and don’ts for getting as many nutrients as possible.

How to Optimize Tea for Antioxidants

Do you want to get even more antioxidants out of your tea? Check out some of the techniques in our other post for steeping tea to increase antioxidants. You might be surprisingly shocked by these steeping times and results. 

Skip the Milk and Sugar

If you’re drinking heart healthy tea, skip the sugar and milk altogether. This means putting down your boba tea and replacing it with a cup of plain iced tea or hot tea of your choice. As bad as sugar is for you, some studies point to milk also reducing the health benefits of tea. 

Add Other Antioxidants

You don’t have to stay away from all tea accompaniments. Some people enjoy a slice of lemon in a cup of Earl Grey. You can also consider adding spices to your tea like cardamom, cinnamon, or clove. Spices are loaded with nutrients, too!

Add Tea to Your Existing Health Routine

Heart healthy teas are spectacular but only part of the solution. The best way to maximize the heart-related benefits of tea is to add it to an already healthy lifestyle. Stay active, exercise, and maintain a balanced diet to help your cardiovascular health.  

The Best Tea Starts with Teabloom

Tea has a plethora of incredible benefits for not only the heart but for your overall health. But, did you know old or chemical-ridden teaware can wreak havoc on your long-term health? 

Sourcing healthy, organic, and ethically-made teas is important. What’s also important is the kind of teaware you use to make your tea. At Teabloom, our mission is to clean up the tea industry one teacup at a time, and this starts with teaware made for your health and wellness. 

Teabloom uses borosilicate glass for its exquisitely beautiful and sustainable teaware. Not only does this material make your tea taste incredible, but it also maintains the purity of your tea so you can reap the benefits. Choose heart healthy teas steeped in teaware crafted with your wellness in mind. 

Your wellness journey starts here, with Teabloom

www.Teabloom.com