The initial interest in studying green tea came from epidemiological studies showing a lower rate of cancer in regions where green tea was consumed. Dietary surveys were then conducted in the regions of Japan where green tea was popular. These dietary surveys showed that people who consumed green tea had much lower incidence of stomach, liver, pancreatic, breast, lung, esophageal and skin cancers. In some studies, green tea prevented cancer altogether in animals genetically bred to develop cancer. The loss of arterial elasticity is one cause of high blood pressure.
Youthful arteries expand and contract effortlessly with each heart beat.
Aging causes a loss of arterial elasticity. As noted above, green tea inhibits thromboxane production, which is one cause of arterial constriction. By blocking the effects of ACE, blood pressure is reduced significantly in most hypertensives. Green tea is a natural ACE inhibitor. Published studies show lowered blood pressure in animals and humans given green tea extracts.