Green tea reduces the effects of blood pressure medication

A study recently published in the American journal Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics on January 13, 2014, shows that drinking green tea can reduce the effects of the blood pressure medication nadolol (Corgard).

The results were drawn after researchers monitored 10 volunteers with high blood pressure, who were given a dose of 30mg of nadolol/day for 14 days. The participants were divided into two groups, one group drank water and the other group drank three cups of green tea every day.

The researchers then tested their blood levels of nadolol and found that those who drank green tea had 76% lower levels of nadolol than those who drank water.

According to the American Heart Association, nadolol is a type of blood pressure medication, called a beta-blocker, used to treat both high blood pressure and angina, chest pain related to heart disease.

Beta-blockers, in general, work by reducing the heart rate and workload of the heart as well as reducing blood output, thereby helping to lower blood pressure.

Nadolol is not the only drug that interacts with food or drink, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says. For example, grapefruit and grapefruit juice can also interact with and reduce the effectiveness of cholesterol-lowering drugs and some blood pressure medications.

According to the researchers, the components in green tea are thought to be responsible for affecting the absorption of nadolol into the intestine.

Dr. Gregg Fonarow, professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles (USA), recommends: "People who drink green tea while using nadolol to treat high blood pressure need to be aware of their interactions and should discuss them with their doctor."

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