title: Tea, flavonoids, and nitric oxide-mediated vascular reactivity.
abstract: Epidemiological evidence supports the concept that diets rich in fruits and vegetables promote health and attenuate or delay the onset of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Although a variety of factors contribute to the beneficial effects of plant foods, much attention has been addressed to plant polyphenols. In this regard, in the daily Western diet, both black and green teas contribute to a relevant proportion of total phenol intake. The more abundant class of flavonoids that is present in teas is represented by flavanols, i.e., catechin, epicatechin, epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, and epigallocatechin gallate. Studies using animal models of atherosclerosis indicate that dietary flavonoid consumption delays atherosclerotic plaque development. Accordingly, an inverse association between tea intake and CVD has been demonstrated. Further, flavonoids can reduce endothelial dysfunction, i.e., the key step in the development of atherosclerosis. Concordantly, human data suggest that tea may reduce blood pressure levels. Despite this, although they often show that tea may have cardiovascular protective effects, results from epidemiological studies exploring the association between tea and health are controversial. Conflicting results may be caused by disparate study designs and flavonoid contents in different kinds of tea. Thus, because tea is a popular beverage worldwide, and several studies have shown that it is protective against CVD, further studies are needed to determine the role of tea in primary and secondary cardiovascular prevention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Public Health, University of L'Aquila, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy.
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Grassi
authors.forename: Annalisa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aggio
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Onori
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Croce
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tiberti
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ferri
authors.forename: Livia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferri
authors.forename: Giovambattista
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Desideri
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D013662:Tea / Q000737:chemistry*; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D005419:Flavonoids; D013662:Tea; D009569:Nitric Oxide