According to this Chinese study, drinking green tea reduces the incidence of AF:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
This article discusses the pros and cons of various different kinds of tea from a cardiac point of view:
Green tea reduces the incidence of AF... - Atrial Fibrillati...
Green tea reduces the incidence of AF according to Chinese study.
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Samazeuilh2
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Thanks for posting this Sam.
I've never tried green tea, it's something I naturally feel I wouldn't like. Can anyone say they like it?
Jean
It can be astringent and takes a bit of getting used to. A good brand is Tea Pigs; I wouldn’t recommend Clipper which is less expensive but it has a lot of dust rather than leaf. Drink without milk or sugar. How you prepare it is important. Leave boiling water to stand for 5 minutes before using otherwise it will spoil the taste.
I will look out for Tea Pigs green tea. Thank you for the tip on preparing it.
I looked at the paper and it was just a collection of difficult to understand statistics so I asked Bard to explain what it meant and got this reply which is easier to understand:
Sure. The odds ratio (OR) of 0.349 means that people who drank green tea were 0.349 times less likely to develop atrial fibrillation (AF) than people who did not drink green tea. The 95% confidence interval (CI) of 0.253-0.483 means that we are 95% confident that the true odds ratio is between 0.253 and 0.483. The P-value of <0.001 means that the association between green tea intake and AF is statistically significant.In layman's terms, this means that drinking green tea may help to protect against AF. However, it is important to note that this is just one study, and more research is needed to confirm these findings
Key word is "association". No cause and effect shown. It could simply be that people who drink green tea are more overall health conscious? Or maybe they drink less coffee? Or, maybe green tea is actually protective? Studies like this are limited. But we do know it's high in antioxidants and while usually relatively low in caffeine, some brands may have more than others, so always a good idea to check caffeine content if sensitive.
Jim
Whole heartedly agree. Maybe people who drink green tea have just been more health conscious for the whole of their life.
It was one study in China from 2016. It’s a specific population and cultural differences may also play a role.
I think there was some attempt to control for this by the researchers since they considered smoking and alcohol consumption.
Very popular on this side of the pond. High in antioxidants and in general, 1/3 the caffeine in coffee.
From time to time I enjoy a cup of green tea at home and also when dining out at Japanese restaurants. It's served plain, without sugar or milk and has an earthy, almost meditative quality about it. The cups are small of porcelain or glass and without handles.
It can be brewed in powder/leaf form and green tea bags are available for convenience.
I think if you tried it you might like it 
There is something called "The Green Tea Ceremony" A throw back to times and life of yesterdays. Quite beautiful.
l was going to try this Jean but l was told it interacts with Warfarin.
Thanks for letting me know as I take Warfarin. I'll go and Google it now,
Yes, I've just read that it contains vitamin K which can interfere with Warfarin blood levels. I guess if 1 cup of green tea was taken every day my INR machine would let me know and I could increase my dose of Warfarin. I have a feeling green tea may taste a bit like camomile tea, so think I'll give it a miss. Thanks for the tip off.
Jean
The pharmacist here won’t let me go anywhere near herbal supplements. I get a loud NO. Lol.
no it does not taste like camomile.To my mind it tastes a bit bitter and I put a touch of real honey from local bees into it.
It’s not like cammomile which I found to taste like stewed straw. 😀
That made me laugh as I've always thought it tasted like silage smells.
Yeah, not that I’ve ever drank ‘straw tea’ you understand. 😂
It does! Yet chamomile essential oil smells lovely and floral. You wouldn’t think it was from the same plant.
I have just read that Green Tea has vitamin K so do not drink it if taking warfarin.
Thanks for the warning. I can’t have anything herbal because l take Warfarin and l have been told by medics not too. Herbal remedies are not for me. A few years ago in the media it was reported that some herbal remedies were considered toxic to the body and some classified as poison. I would not touch anything herbal with a barge pole, but each to his own. We have a choice.
I’ve tried it a number of times and it always makes me feel nauseous.
You need to get q good quality green tea and not make it too strong. I used to hate it but found I love loose leave jasmine green tea. ( tea bags are usually bitter and dusty) I buy jasmine pearls and use just 4 or so in a pot. You can top up with hot water several times too- very economical! I only have it occasionally tho, and very weak as it does has caffeine.
I like it, Jean. It has a nice earthy flavor.
Since the smell of tea leaves brought be out in goose bumps as a child, I managed to force myself to drink green tea and actually like it provided there was a suitable AND... lemon, ginger etc It has too strong a back taste on its own.
Very interesting Jim. I'll buy some when I next go shopping and give it a try.
Hi Jean. I drink about 5 (small 75 ml) cups of Ceremonial Matcha a day as it's a great pain killer so helps with my back pain and IBS. My Dr. says it's a great anti inflammatory. It's certainly worked better than any of the medication she's tried over the years. I've also noticed that it's a big help with my hay fever as I normally have to take tablets this time of year. I started off with a small pot as I wasn't sure as I'm very sensitive to caffeine and was drinking decaffeinated black tea. I found a decaffeinated brand of green tea on amazon and tried that at first but you had to make it in a teapot and although I liked it I wanted to try the real thing. The Matcha I drink now is very expensive relatively, 21 pence a cup, as it's imported from Japan, comes in a sealed tin that has to be kept in the fridge once opened. I started off whisking it with an electric milk frother that I had bought for £12 for the kids hot chocolate but progressed to a bamboo chasen and a proper matcha cup once I found I liked it and it wasn't going to upset my stomach or keep me awake at night like coffee does. There are loads of slightly different flavours with every grower saying theirs is the best, but it's down to individual taste I think. It is so expensive because it has to be harvested in the shade (some growers use solar panels) which affects the ability of the plant to produce the product. Anyway I need a cup of tea after writing all that. I would not dream of putting honey in mine as I like the umami taste.😍
All the best.
Roy
Thank you for that tip Roy, I'll look out for the Matcha tea. I already drink coconut water which costs £4.50 a litre, so not worried about the price. Sometimes I really wonder if all this expensive organic everything I buy is worth it and if I didn't perhaps I could go on nice holidays. Where do you buy this tea from?
Jean
Hi Jean I get mine from matchaandco.co.uk/ but there are loads of other suppliers. I suggest you do like me and buy a small pot first to see if you like the taste. They do a 21 sample different taster flavours as well. I have bought a small pot from Amazon (held in the UK) as well called Spring Blossom when I thought I was going to run out. Matcha and co are faster with their subscription service than they are with a small order. Whatever any supplier says it all comes from Japan though. So unless a supplier has already imported it and is holding stock in the UK it will take a while to get here. Matcha and co are a Spanish (EU) firm so holds it's stock in Spain and sends it from there. Unless they send it express air mail like they do with their subscription service it takes a while.
All the best.
Roy
There is a video on YouTube that shows you how to do it properly.
youtube.com/watch?v=bjsv1Ix...
All the best.
Roy
Thank you Roy.
You are welcome Jean. Just don't try and use the bamboo measure to poke the matcha through the sieve like he suggests, I find it works much better with a teaspoon. Try it and see which you prefer.
All the best.
Roy
Hi Jean. Because I had a major stroke that completely paralyzed my right side I found it too difficult to use a small cup/bowl for mixing the matcha with a bamboo chasen so I bought a larger cup from the Japanese centre in the uk which is much easier for me to use with the chasen and enables me to get a good froth as I can get more movement with a larger cup. japancentre.com/en/products...
All the best.
Roy
I do like green tea, but just know that matcha green tea has more caffeine than regular green tea, ie., 19-44 mg per gram of tea... so only you can know if that's OK for you. Recent studies seem to say that even coffee doesn't trigger AF, but we all know that some of us ARE triggered. I seem to be OK w/ green tea, white tea (which has the least caffeine), and even decaffeinated teas. But I still love herbals, including chamomile! To your health!! Diane S.
Yes, matcha green tea is higher in caffeine than the standard variety. White tea is my favourite but, unfortunately, doesn’t confer-or isn’t known to confer-the heart benefits of green tea (although it has many other health benefits).
Thanks, I did not know that white tea doesn't confer the same heart benefits--and I do enjoy it. (When Charles married Lady Di, way back when, Harney & Sons came out with their "Royal Wedding Tea"--white tea with pink rosebuds! & a bit of cornflower, marigold, almond, coconut, and vanilla. Fantastic flavour!! Still hoarding a commemorative tin that I break into occasionally and it put me on the path of loving white tea.) Cheers, Diane S.
Jean, do you subscribe to Which? They occasionally do articles that cover subjects such as organic versus the value range, and which supplements really contain what they are supposed to (that was an eye opener). I read these avidly and end up buying many items from the value range as organic isn't always what it appears to be and there are so many confusing standards. The exceptions I make are eggs, I always buy free-range, and some meat (but we eat very little meat anyway).
Friends pass on their Which magazines to me, so thanks for the tip, will keep a look out.
Sorry to burst anybody’s bubble here but I’ve been drinking green tea for years and long before I even knew what AF was. You won’t prevent, cure, treat or eliminate AF by drinking green tea. If you like it, drink it. But it’s not medicine.
No but it is herbal and can interact with medications especially Warfarin which is what l take. I always think it wise to check first before trying anything herbal because of side effects and interactions.
Yes, that’s a very good point and people should be wary. Just because something is perceived as “natural” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s harmless.
The study doesn’t claim that green tea will cure or eliminate AF. All it claims is that it reduces the incidence of AF/PAF. It does consider whether those participating in the study were smokers and/or drinkers so there is *some* attempt to consider whether variables which are related to “health awareness” might be pertinent. I would argue that if there is correlation plus a plausible explanatory mechanism then that makes the finding fairly credible.
True Autumnleaves, it is not medicine.
T hat said it is also true that making sensible informed choices about what you eat and drink can be conducive to better health..
The correlations from research can help you to make a personal choice
Regards
I totally agree. I’ve drank green years for 10+ years and still started A-Fib about three years ago regardless. 🤷♀️
Green tea is not proposed by the study as a cure of AF or even preventative- that would be too good to be true. It’s just associated with a reduction in the number of episodes. Of course, it’s only a single study, but given that green tea is known from other studies to have other health benefits, it seems it might be worth trying.
There’s no harm in having a cup of green tea. If you like it, enjoy it. The health benefits may be plausible but are probably marginal. To my knowledge the findings of this study have not been replicated and with everything health-related, it’s the totality of evidence that matters and not isolated studies. I’m not dissuading anyone from drinking green tea if that’s what they choose to do, but people shouldn’t kid themselves it’s medicine. It’s not. It’s tea. That’s all.
The study didn’t describe green tea as a medicine and neither did I. It reports that “Green tea intake decreased the incidence of both paroxysmal AF (OR: 0.307, 95% CI: 0.216-0.436, P < 0.001) and persistent AF (OR: 0.355, 95% CI: 0.261-0.482, P < 0.001) and may be associated with a decreased incidence of AF. This study suggests that low-dose green tea intake strongly protects against AF.” Note the use of the word “suggests”. There isn’t any basis for your claim that “health benefits are probably marginal”, since follow-up studies (which confirm or contradict the original finding) have not been conducted.
I don’t dispute that green tea may have some health benefits. However, a reduced risk at a population/study group level often does not translate well to the individual level. I have been drinking 3 cups a day for years and it didn’t stop me from developing AF. I don’t consider it preventative, or causative for that matter. The fact is, we all have different risk factors for AF. If the cause of someone’s AF is a problem their mitral valve, it’s not going to fix that. It might help some, but it might not help others, and I’d agree that there’s no harm in trying
I’m not here to argue or stress you out. I’m sorry if I’ve upset you in any way. I know you’ve been through a lot with your health and I understand that you probably want to the best you can for your health. I really do get that. So please, enjoy your tea and I wish you well in your health journey.
You haven’t upset me at all; there is no need to apologise! My original post perhaps wasn’t as clear as it could have been. I’m certainly not proposing green tea as a cure for AF. The study, as I read it, is just saying that the incidence of AF was lower in the green tea group than in the control group. There probably needs to be further research, but given that green tea has other known health benefits it seems to be at least worth trying.
Whilst that’s encouraging for people that don’t have AF and wish to be protected a study of an AF population would be more interesting to us. Half the AF people no green tea the other half of AF people green tea. Then we can see if it benefits our group
I think the study did this, see table 6 characteristics, where out of 401 AF sufferers 155 took green tea and 246 didn’t.
yes I believe your correct I didn’t look at the graphs. Always difficult to interpret in a small study. In any case I usually have 1 cup a day and it’s difficult to say if it makes a difference as we all do different things along with green tea to try and keep well to slow the return of AF
Ahhh green tea. I drank it for several years due to its alleged health benifits. I can't say I greatly enjoyed it. Pick ure brand carefully.... Some are light and less bitter than others.. Can assure you it tastes nothing like camomile tea. It did nothing for me or my health (pre Afib) but my brother in law who is a health fanatic has drunk it for years. He also exercises, eats super healthy, only organic, downs his vits/mineral supplements but despite all of this he has health conditions.... Can't stop the march of time.
Me I like a lovely cup of earl grey or Lady gray. And my other preference is coffee. I suspect this one piece of research, given there is no body of research is probably flawed in some way or the tea manufacturer of Green Tea would be taking full advantage of it.... 😊
Same. I have three cups of green tea a day and have done so for years but it didn’t prevent AF. AF is a lot more complicated that a quirky heartbeat and different people have different risk factors and different medical histories. And let’s face it, some of us (most of us) are getting on a bit and age is risk factor for many conditions.
I used to drink it two or three times a day. I was told to stop by a GP as it makes the heart race.
I drink green tea whenever we are out as I dislike very strong normal tea and it takes longer to gets that really stewed flavour. I tend to drink decaf at home. I really quite like it. Thoroughly dislike all those fruit flavoured infusions though.
Ive drunk green tea with mint for years or Moroccan tea leaves, not as bitter as the bags. I started when i was trying to give up smoking and it was associated with coffee in the morning. Didn’t stop me smoking! ( i did give up eventually - very hard) i also drink camomile and night time tea and very strong coffee! None of which made any difference to anything 😊
That’s interesting as my husband tells me it is also supposed to good for his prostrate too so we have it occasionally! I had thought all normal tea was bad for us but perhaps that’s to do with how dark it is.
Black, green and white teas are purported to have health benefits. Black tea has gone through fermentation and loses some of its polyphenol content in the process but it’s not “bad for you”. It may have some beneficial properties if you’re not sensitive to the caffeine. And as long as you don’t put sugar in it. The most important reason to drink tea is for enjoyment. One food is not going to make or break your health. Drinking tea or not drinking tea isn’t that significant in the bigger picture. It’s what you do most of the time that matters, your overall diet, hydration, activity levels etc.
But I’ve never liked “proper” tea, only liked it weak with lemon, which is now a “no no” with my hiatus hernia or Earl Grey. Now drink herbal ones with ginger etc as prefer them and mostly plain water which I’ve always preferred but as we all know, we are all different
My sister hates tea! But she’s in perfect health. So….
I’ve drunk it every day for many years, but sadly still got afflicted with AFib, even when I cut it back to just one cup each morning. 🤷♀️
There’s a saying that goes something like, “If you don’t like green tea, then you’re not making it correctly”.
I buy high quality Ling Jing Dragon Well loose leaf from Amazon. It’s delicious. The water should be off the boil around 80deg, not boiling like for black tea. Green tea scorches and goes bitter very easily. I “wash” it through first with a little water to remove most of the dust, tannins and caffeine, then brew it for just a few minutes. Anything longer stews it and it becomes too strong and almost sour. It should be palest green in colour.
Unlike black tea, you can “wash” it through more than once and the more washes the better the flavour. There’s another old Chinese saying that goes, “the first (wash through) is for your enemy, the second is for your wife and the third is for you”. Get the picture?!? 😀
that’s great to know, thankyou. You sound like a total pro with it.👍
I’ve been drinking it for quite some time, plus I went to China about ten years ago and visited a tea market where the entire huge marketplace was dedicated just to the various types of green teas. It was heaven!!
very thought provoking post , thank you.
I found it interesting that the study defined permanent AF as a category and wonder if terminology is different to how we use it now.
As I understand, Permanent AF is a description of a medical decision as applied now in the UK and not an actually different AF condition. Maybe now this Chinese study would use Long Standing Persistent instead of Permanent.
Same. I have had about 3 cups a day for years and I still developed AF. I still drink it, I still have 3 cups a day. These studies don’t really hold up at the individual level.
Informative -- thanks!
oh! Im pleased to hear this, I really enjoy green tea, but since my AF has been cropping up more frequently, I have been wary of drinking it in case it might trigger an episode
I drink it regularly and haven’t identified it as a specific trigger. But then again I haven’t managed to identify anything as a specific trigger. Apart from too much high fat food - sometimes. Someone on here said that trying to find a trigger for your AFib is the path to madness, and having tried everything I possibly could, I’m afraid I now have to agree.
I know what you mean about triggers! the only thing I have identified for sure is eating too late in the evening, I make it a rule not to start a meal after 7-30 pm, or I know I will be in trouble. same goes for the odd glass of wine, ok earlier in the evening, but curfew is 8pm!
I’ve tried everything. It’s triggered after eating too much, not eating at all, too much cream (then it didn’t with cream 🤷♀️), when relaxing watching TV, twice at 2am, when starting to swim (or not), I’ve walked it out in the treadmill (and then not!). There’s literally rhyme no reason to it. I give up!!
Had an ablation on Thursday and feeling really good. Consultant called it an “acutely successful ablation” and said he’s “confident they got it all”, so fingers crossed I’m done and good to go.
oh fingers crossed, I hope you are AF free now x
So far so good! Got tired legs if I walk too far and steps are very tiring, but no other symptoms so far. 🤞🤞 xx
I had an ablation a few years ago, I was free of AF for a full 2yrs afterwards. It took me about 2 weeks to shake of the weird tiredness that followed the procedure
Yes, I can feel like a bit of a zombie and just sit with my eyes closed or staring at the wall. 😀
Do I take it that you’ve reverted back into AFib after two years?
unfortunately I have, I am hoping to get another ablation done, but I am not sure how keen they are in Ireland, still waiting for my first appointment with a cardiologist over here
So sorry to hear that. I’m hoping the cardiologist with his enthusiasm about how successful it went hasn’t set me up for an emotional fall at some point in the future.
Just one thing - what I’ve learned (the hard way) is do not sit and wait for an appointment. Keep on and on at them. Push your face into their face all the time. If you don’t, then they’ll think you’re not too bad and you’ll get passed over. I learned that the hard way with the spine operation I waited months for. Also, I paid privately to speak to a cardiologist and that got me onto the NHS waiting list much faster. If I’d waited for the NHS cardiology department to pull their finger out I’d still be waiting to be seen, let alone got on the ablation waiting list.
interesting.!! Thanks for posting. My wife drinks it occasionally and I have tried a sip now and again but can’t say I’m a massive fan to be honest.
But having said that, if its good for the ticker then I will definitely buy some and include it in my tea intake.👍 I’m sure it’s not as bad as my electrolyte water I make.? Water, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and a teaspoon of cream of tartar powder with a tiny pinch of Himalayan salt. 😜
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