Green Tea, Angiogenesis, and You

Green Tea, Angiogenesis, and You

Green tea has polyphenols that stop angiogenesis, and its cancer prevention potential interests The Angiogenesis Foundation (a global non-profit organization).

The Romance of Tea Reading Green Tea, Angiogenesis, and You 6 minutes Next Harney Through the Decades: From Leaf to Legacy

For most of us, tea’s appeal begins with its aroma, its flavor, and the comforting ritual of its preparation. But that fragrant, delicious cup may also offer an impressive range of healthful benefits. Tea’s advantages can include everything from enhanced mental clarity and improved cardiovascular health to the potential prevention of cancer risk.

Flavan-3-ols: What They Are, and Where to Find Them
Flavon-3-ols are plant compounds found in many foods (such as berries, craisins, apples, and dark chocolate) and drinks (such as…wait for it…tea). By improving blood pressure, blood flow, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar, flavon-3-ols help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

A few years back, a collaboration between the Institute for the Advance of Food and Nutrition and The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics yielded a recommendation that 400-600mg of flavan-3-ols be consumed daily to support good health. As longtime believers in the healthful benefits of tea, we were delighted to see that tea had the highest concentrations of flavan-3-ols of all foods and beverages tested.

We’ll add a note to that, though: the amount of flavan-3-ols in tea leaves can vary according to season and climatic conditions. A recent study conducted in China found that the concentration of major flavan-3-ols (including the potent antioxidant epigallocatechin3-gallate, or EGCG) can decline in summer, during the transition from late July to early August (a period often characterized by increased monsoon rainfall)

Teas harvested in the spring have higher levels of EGCG…and if you’d to sample some
spring-harvested teas, we’ll gladly make recommendations. Our “Two Cups of Tea a Day May Keep the Doctor Away” collection (no offense, medical professionals!) includes excellent choices like Lung Ching, Jobetsugi Ceremonial Matcha (Thin Grade), Ichiban Sencha, and others…and while we’re on the subject, we’ll also suggest Sencha Scent of Mountains and Gyokuro.

We’ll also note that black tea loses some flavan-3-ols in its processing. After the tea leaves are picked, they are withered, rolled, oxidized, and dried. This causes the leaves to change color from green to dark brown and black, and develop new compounds called flavonoids (called theaflavins and thearubigins). While this process is crucial to achieving the desired taste profile, it does reduce flavan-3-ols (although a substantial amount remains).

Green tea, by comparison, does not undergo oxidation. As a result, it retains more flavan-3-ols.

Whether you’re drinking green tea or black tea, tea is a great source for flavan-3-ols. Just two cups of brewed green or black tea per day can give drinkers all they need of these helpful plant compounds.

We’ve always believed in tea’s healthful properties…and on April 28, 2025, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration officially agreed, announcing that green, black, white, and oolong teas (with less than 5 calories per 12 fluid ounce serving and no added caffeine) derived from Camellia sinensis met the FDA’s updated criteria for a “healthy” food. Take a bow, flavon-3-ols.

The Angiogenesis Foundation
Founded in 1994 by a group of physicians and scientists, the Angiogenesis Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to understanding angiogenesis, the process by which our bodies create new blood vessels.

There are two primary forms of angiogenesis. In sprouting angiogenesis, new endothelial cells extend from an existing blood vessel and grow toward a chemical stimulus. These extensions develop into blood vessels capable of supplying areas of tissue that previously lacked circulation.

The second major form, known as splitting angiogenesis, takes place without sprouting. Instead, a single blood vessel divides into two, creating a new capillary. Rather than sprouting outward, endothelial cells migrate into the blood vessel’s opening and form pillars…which eventually give rise to new capillary branches.

Occurring every day, angiogenesis helps us repair tissues, heal cuts, and stay healthy. However, the same process can also help fuel cancer by supplying malignant tumors with the blood they need to grow. That’s why the Foundation’s researchers focus on our bodies’ natural “on” and “off” switches for blood vessel growth. Learning the ways in which vessel growth can be stimulated or blocked can lead to better medical treatments, such as angiogenesis-based medicines.

Everyday habits also play a role in angiogenesis. The Angiogenesis Foundation’s CEO, President, and Medical Director, Dr. William Li, is interested in the ways that diet and lifestyle choices influence blood vessel growth…and one diet choice that’s drawn his attention is tea.

Drink to Your Own Health
“Tea,” says Dr. Li, “is one of the first ‘foods’ discovered to have an effect on angiogenesis, specifically having the ability to starve cancer by cutting off its blood supply.”

As a global health influencer (perhaps you’ve caught his TED Talk), Dr. Li has traveled the world to advocate for high-quality science, while also spreading the word about diet’s potential to improve health. A few years ago, his book Eat to Beat Disease: The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself was a New York Times bestseller…and we were honored to work with Dr. Li on a collection of teas that included our Formosa Oolong, Japanese Sencha, Jobetsugi Ceremonial Matcha (Thin Grade), and others. Our Founder, John Harney was a fan of Dr. Li and they talked often when John struggled with his own cancer.

Dr. Li has also stated on his website that “green tea is a powerhouse when it comes to keeping you healthy and protecting against disease,” asserting that the beverage has the potential to decrease stress, protect DNA, and lower cancer risk.

Laboratory studies have supported Dr. Li’s claims. One of green tea’s most significant polyphenols, a catechin known as EGCG (or Epigallocatechin gallate, if you’re being formal), appears to slow new blood vessel growth under certain conditions…making it an angiogenesis inhibitor, with potential to restrain the development of cancerous tumors.

A Great Foundation Deserves a Green Tea to Match
This brings us to the product we’ve been aching to tell you about for the last seven paragraphs: our Angiogenesis Foundation Green Tea. Available as a one-pound bag of loose leaf or a bag of 50 sachets, this caffeinated tea has a floral, vegetal aroma, with a soft, delicate flavor that hints at jasmine. Hand-picked and hand-rolled from select Chinese and Japanese green tea leaves that are rich in anti-angiogenic polyphenols, this medium-bodied blend is perfect for everyday enjoyment. As we observe Cancer Prevention Month, we’re proud to offer you this exceptional tea…named in honor of an organization that works every day to help people everywhere lead longer, healthier lives. 

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