Relation between green tea consumption and the severity of coronary atherosclerosis among Japanese men and women

PURPOSE: To examine the relation between green tea consumption and arteriog raphically determined coronary atherosclerosis. METHODS: Study subjects were 512 patients (302 men and 210 women) aged 30 y ears or older who underwent coronary arteriography for the first time at fo ur hospitals in Fukuoka City or one hospital in an adjacent city between Se ptember 1996 and August 1997. Lifestyle characteristics including green tea consumption were ascertained before arteriography by a questionnaire suppo rted with interview. RESULTS: 117 men (38.7%) and 50 women (23.8%) had significant stenosis of o ne or more coronary arteries. Green tea consumption tended to be inversely associated with coronary atherosclerosis in men, but not in women. An evide nt, protective association between green tea and coronary atherosclerosis w as observed in a subgroup of 262 men excluding those under dietary or drug treatment for diabetes mellitus. In this subgroup, after adjustment for tra ditional coronary risk factors and coffee, odds ratios of significant steno sis for consumption of 2-3 cups and 4 or more cups per day were 0.5 (95% co nfidence interval 0.2-1.2) and 0.4 (0.2-0.9), respectively, as compared wit h a consumption of one cup per day or less. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that green tea may be protective against coronary atherosclerosis at least in men. Ann Epidemiol 2000;10:401-408. (C ) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.