18 Mar The Impact of Green Tea and Coffee Consumption on the Reduced Risk of Stroke

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Yoshihiro Kokubo, MD, PhD, FACC, FAHA, FESC
Department of Preventive Cardiology, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, 5-7-1, Fujishiro-dai, Suita, Osaka,

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?

Dr. Kokubo:  In this study, higher green tea (2 or more cups/day) and coffee (3 to
6 times/week, 1 or more cups/day) consumption were found to be
inversely associated with the incidences of cardiovascular disease and
stroke. Higher green tea (2 or more cups/day) or coffee (1 or more
cups/day) consumption reduced the risks of cardiovascular disease,
strokes, and its subtypes, especially in intracerebral hemorrhage (P
for interaction between green tea and coffee=0.04).

MedicalResearch.com: Were any of the findings unexpected?

Dr. Kokubo:  Higher green tea or coffee consumption was observed to reduce the
risks of cardiovascular disease, strokes, and its subtypes.
Among higher green tea consumption groups, the risk reduction of stroke and
its subtypes were observed to be similar in any coffee consumption
category. The same is true vice versa. We did not observe a synergy
effect of green tea and the coffee consumption for the preventive
stroke. This is an unexpected finding.

MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Dr. Kokubo:  I  will tell a person who cannot improve the lifestyle, “You may make a
small but positive lifestyle change to help lower the risk of stroke
by adding daily green tea to your diet. We can expect the prevention
of stroke by changing sweet juice or soda holding in the right hand to
green tea.”

In order to prevent stroke, it is an important to take in maintenance
of appropriate blood pressure, sodium restriction, lots of fish and
vegetable, exercise habit, appropriate alcohol consumption, and
smoking cessation. It would be a good chance to modification of
lifestyle by drinking green tea.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Dr. Kokubo:  We have no data of ice/hot green tea and coffee and addition of a
sugar and milk. Further studies should require the association
according to the types (hot or ice, sugar, and milk) of green tea and
coffee.

In addition, further research could clarify how the interaction
between coffee and green tea might help further lower stroke risks.

Citation:

The Impact of Green Tea and Coffee Consumption on the Reduced Risk of Stroke Incidence in Japanese Population: The Japan Public Health Center-Based Study Cohort

Yoshihiro Kokubo, Hiroyasu Iso, Isao Saito, Kazumasa Yamagishi, Hiroshi Yatsuya, Junko Ishihara, Manami Inoue, and Shoichiro Tsugane
Stroke. 2013;STROKEAHA.111.677500published online before print March 14 2013, doi:10.1161/STROKEAHA.111.677500

Last Updated on March 18, 2013 by Marie Benz MD FAAD