Two to four cups of this tea a day could reduce your risk of heart disease by up to 15%.
Reviewed by Dietitian Casey Wing, RD, CD
Key Points
- Drinking 2-4 cups of green tea daily may lower heart disease risk by 15%, thanks to its antioxidants.
- Green tea’s catechins help reduce blood pressure, improve cholesterol, and support better circulation.
- Pair green tea with citrus or milk to boost antioxidant absorption and maximize heart health benefits.
While sugar-sweetened beverages are well known for increasing the risk of heart disease, some drinks may actively protect your heart, with green tea topping the list. Black and herbal teas contain health-promoting compounds, too, but green tea has the strongest body of research behind it when it comes to your heart.
While green tea isn’t the secret key to preventing heart disease and is best included as part of an overall heart-healthy diet and lifestyle, the numbers are impressive. Researchers studying the tea drinking habits of just under 800,000 people found that those who regularly drank 3 cups of green tea daily had a 15 percent lower risk of heart disease than non-green-tea drinkers. So, whether you enjoy it hot or iced, pour a cup and learn how this ancient beverage supports your heart and expert-recommended ways to enjoy it.
Why Green Tea Can Help Prevent Heart Disease
It Supports Healthy Blood Vessels
Along with overall diet and exercise, regularly drinking green tea could support lower blood pressure, helping to prevent hypertension, a leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Its antihypertensive effects are due to the large amount of an antioxidant called catechins, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). “EGCG helps improve blood vessel function by promoting relaxation of the arteries and reducing inflammation. This can support better circulation and lower blood pressure, which may contribute to a lower overall risk of heart disease when consumed regularly as part of a balanced diet,” says Talia Follador, RDN, LDN.
It May Improve Your Lipid Profile
The catechins in green tea support your blood vessels in other ways as well, playing a major role in lipid regulation. A large meta-analysis found that supplementing with green tea may result in small but significant decreases in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol), while slightly increasing HDL cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol), for a more favorable lipid profile. “Green tea catechins inhibit key enzymes involved in the synthesis of lipids and reduce intestinal lipid absorption,” says Karen Grecea, MS, RD, IFNCP. As an antioxidant, EGCG also inhibits the oxidation of lipoproteins, which likely plays a role in cholesterol reduction.
It’s Loaded With Antioxidants
Green tea is rich in antioxidants and has a potent anti-inflammatory effect on the body, which may help combat the damaging effects of oxidative stress on the cardiovascular system.
“Because of green tea catechins’ strong antioxidant effects, they search for and destroy free radicals, aiding to bind harsh metals to reduce harmful oxidation reactions like ROS (reactive oxygen species),” explains Grecea. Neutralizing these free radicals helps preserve the integrity and function of blood vessel cells and lowers inflammation-related plaque buildup in arteries.
It Supports Gut Health
Emerging research suggests green tea’s benefits for your heart could start in your gut. A small study found that green tea extract, at doses equivalent to 5 cups of green tea per day, improved gut barrier function and lowered circulating endotoxin levels in both healthy adults and those with metabolic syndrome. As circulating endotoxins are a key player in reactions that drive conditions such as obesity, insulin resistance and dyslipidemia, managing these levels is important for reducing heart disease risk.
How to Enjoy Green Tea for Heart Health
Drinking green tea can be an enjoyable part of your day, but here’s what experts want you to consider if you’re sipping to support your heart:
- Aim for two to four cups per day. “Consistency matters more than perfection,” says Follador, but research suggests the sweet spot may be between two and four cups per day.
- Enjoy it with fruit or milk. While there’s no denying green tea is an excellent source of antioxidants, you have to actually absorb them to reap the benefits. Adding citrus to your green tea or drinking it alongside a high-vitamin C food could increase the bioavailability of EGCG by 56 to 76 percent. Alternatively, enjoying your tea with milk also enhances EGCG bioavailability by up to 52 percent.
- Limit sweeteners. “Green tea is best consumed with minimal added sugar, since excess added sugars can counteract heart health benefits,” says Follador. A squeeze of lemon or orange or a light drizzle of honey can add a touch of flavor or natural sweetness.
- Try it iced. Enjoy your green tea hot or iced, as both have significant benefits. If you enjoy your tea cold, Grecea recommends brewing your tea at 68°F for 12 hours for the highest levels of vitamin C, epicatechin and EGCG.
- Decaf works too. If you’re sensitive to caffeine or want to enjoy green tea in the evening hours, decaffeinated green tea provides similar benefits to caffeinated options.
- Avoid brewing too hot or too long. While multiple studies have found that steeping green tea leaves at 176°F for 20 to 30 minutes provides the highest overall catechin content, that level of steeping isn’t practical for enjoying a cup of tea at home. For a balance between optimal flavor and antioxidant levels, Grecea recommends steeping it at 176 to 185°F for 3 to 5 minutes.
Our Expert Take
Enjoying green tea hot or cold as a regular part of your heart-healthy diet and lifestyle can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. Thanks to its high antioxidant content, particularly from EGCG, green tea helps fight oxidative stress that can lead to stiff blood vessels and plaque buildup.
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