Is green tea good to reduce heart disease?

For the past 5,000 years people have been harvesting and drinking tea to promote good health. Tea is a very rich source of flavonoids and antioxidants (chemical substances that protect the body for the adverse effects of oxygen and cell damaging “free radicals”) Free radicals are unstable atoms that can damage cells, causing illness and ageing. Free radicals are linked to ageing and a host of diseases, including cardiovascular disease due to clogged arteries. Antioxidants are known to neutralize these free radicals; they act as a natural "off" switch for the free radicals. This helps break a chain reaction that can affect other molecules in the cell and in the body.

While the scientific community has come to a broad consensus that green tea (along with its cousins black and oolong) is beneficial for healthy living, only recently has attention turned to the possible healthy cholesterol effects of tea.

Scientists have suspected that a particular flavonoid in tea, theaflavins, could be an active ingredient in the fight against high cholesterol. Unfortunately, theaflavins are produced as green tea ferments into black or oolong tea but quickly degrade. As a result, tea will have more than 3% of the beneficial extracts found in certain supplements such as Soltea.

You have heard the old adage -what you don’t know can’t hurt you. When it comes to knowing your cholesterol levels, what you know can save your life. If you haven’t had your cholesterol checked, please contact your doctor and request a screening at your next appointment.

High cholesterol affects everyone, every age, race, fitness level and weight. Almost half of Americans over the age of 20 have unsafe cholesterol levels (over 200 mg/dL) and many are not aware they may be at risk. After age 44, on average women actually have higher cholesterol than men.

While diets high in fats and a lack of regular exercise  often lead to high cholesterol, many of the causes are beyond our control. Heredity, age, and stress levels also contribute to unhealthy cholesterol levels.

Soltea green tea supplements may be your best natural solution to lower or maintain a healthy heart and help unclog those arteries.