Is "black tea" or "green tea" ok to drink for someone who has heart disease,
and is currently on "statin" type drugs? I recently read that
it can reverse clogging of the arteries(somewhat), but I'm worried
about side effects.

Hello gussyboy!!

Thank you for asking to Google Answers.

After research for Green and Black tea side effects and its
interactions with drugs, I conclude that in your situation (heart
disease)these beverages are not ok to drink.

The Green Tea can work avoiding the clog of the arteries and help with
the reversing of this situation, and a lot of more health benefits in
several health conditions.
"Many actions associated with herbal supplements may help prevent or
potentially alleviate atherosclerosis....
... A related group are herbs, such as green tea, that prevent the
oxidation of cholesterol, an important step in protecting against
atherosclerosis."
Taken from "Atherosclerosis" page at the Holland & Barrett website:
http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/Concern/Atherosclerosis.htm


Also there are no known interactions between Green Tea and statin
drugs.
To see a document that list all the known interactions of the Green
tea visit the following page at the HealthandAge.com website:
"Possible Interactions with: Green Tea"
http://www.healthandage.com/html/res/com/ConsHerbs/Interactions/GreenTeach.html

And "Green Tea: Drug Interactions Safety Check" at MyCustomPack.com :
http://www.mycustompak.com/healthNotes/Herb_Drugix/Green_Tea.htm


The problem here is your health condition. 
Green tea is generally considered a safe, non-toxic beverage and
consumption is usually without side-effects. The average cup of green
tea, however, contains from 10-50 mg of caffeine and overconsumption
may cause irritability, insomnia, nervousness, and tachycardia.
The most common adverse effects reported from consuming several cups
per day of green tea are insomnia, anxiety, tachycardia and other
symptoms caused by the caffeine content in the herb.
For this reason people with heart problems, kidney disorders, stomach
ulcers, and psychological disorders (particularly anxiety) should not
take green tea.

About side effects of the green tea you can read the following extract
taken from "Green Tea Extract by Source Naturals" description page at
the "Pure Prescriptions" website:
"Are there safety concerns? 
Green tea is safe for most adults. In some people, it can cause
stomach upset and constipation. Too much green tea, such as more than
5 cups per day, can cause side effects because of the caffeine. These
side effects can range from mild to serious and include headache,
nervousness, sleep problems, vomiting, diarrhea, irritability,
irregular heart beat, tremor, heartburn, dizziness, ringing in the
ears, convulsions, and confusion. People who drink green tea
frequently may experience a headache and other symptoms of withdrawal
if they suddenly stop drinking black tea.
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, green tea in small amounts is
probably not harmful. Do not drink more than 2 cups a day of green
tea. Too much caffeine might cause premature delivery, low birth
weight, and harm to the baby.
Do not give green tea to infants and children. They tend to be more
sensitive to the side effects of caffeine. Also, green tea can prevent
infants from getting the iron they need from their food.

Do not take green tea if:
-You have depression. 
-You have an anxiety disorder. 
-You have stomach or duodenal ulcers. 
-You have a heart conditions. 
-You have kidney disease. 
-You have high blood pressure. Small amounts of green tea taken
regularly do not seem to raise blood pressure, but blood pressure can
be affected in someone who isn’t used to the caffeine in green tea.

Are there any interactions with medications? 
Drinking green tea while taking certain medications can INCREASE the
side effects of the caffeine in the green tea. Some of these medicines
include albuterol (Proventil, Ventolin); metaproterenol (Alupent);
theophylline (Theo-Dur); riluzole (Rilutek); lithium (Eskalith,
Lithobid); phenylzine (Nardil); stimulants such as nicotine,
ephedrine, cocaine, guarana, ma huang, methylphenidate (Ritalin), and
others.

The caffeine found in green tea might DECREASE the effectiveness of
many medications. These include diazepam (Valium), clorazepate
(Tranxene), oxazepam (Serax), clozapine (Clozaril), and others.

Other drugs can INCREASE the side effects of the caffeine found in
green tea. These drugs include alcohol, cimetidine (Tagamet),
disulfiram (Antabuse), estrogen (Estrace), birth control pills,
fluvoxamine (Luvox), mexiletine (Mexitil), ciprofloxacin (Cipro),
levofloxacin (Levaquin), riluzole (Rilutek), terbinafine (Lamisil),
verapamil (Calan, Isoptin, Verelan), and others."
http://pureprescriptions.com/shop/extended_products_show.asp?itemid=70


My conclusion here for you is that if you havenīt a heart disease, the
consumption of green tea is good and may be recommended, but your
situation includes a heart disease, so you must not drink green or
black tea without a consultation to a doctor.

For more information related to this topic you can visit the following
web pages:

"Green Tea" at MyCustomPack.com:
http://www.mycustompak.com/healthNotes/Herb/Green_Tea.htm


"Green Tea" at CrescentLife.com:
http://www.crescentlife.com/dietnutrition/green_tea.htm


"Green Tea" at Herb Research:
http://www.shamanictonics.com/info/grntea.html

"Green tea" a recommendable four pages article by Paula Ford-Martin
from The Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine found at
FindArticles.com:
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/g2603/0003/2603000398/p1/article.jhtml

"Caffeine: A Safe Energy Boost for Finals?" article by Diane Voyatzis
at Tufts Nutrition :
http://nutrition.tufts.edu/publications/matters/2002-12-02.shtml


Search strategy:
black tea
green tea
black tea side effects
green tea side effects
black tea interaction
green tea interaction
statin and caffeine interaction

Search engine:
Google


I hope this helps, if you need a clarification or have troubles with
dead links, please post a request for a clarification, I will be glad
to clarify the answer for you if you need it.

Best Regards.
livioflores-ga

---

Clarification of Answer by livioflores-ga on 13 Feb 2003 16:48 PST

Thank you gussyboy for the good rating and the tip!!!

After answer your question I continued researching about this topic. 
It so happens that my mother takes statin drugs by prescription and
take pills of green tea extract. She hasnīt heart disease. But the
good new is that this pills are decaffeinated, so the caffeine side
effects are very limited.
Decaffeinated means that the amount of caffeine is reduced.

"...Much of the research documenting the health benefits of green tea
is based on the amount of green tea typically drunk in Asian
countries-about three cups per day (providing 240-320 mg of
polyphenols).13 To brew green tea, 1 U.S. teaspoon (5 grams) of green
tea leaves are combined with 250 ml (1 cup) of boiling water and
steeped for three minutes. Decaffeinated tea is recommended to reduce
the side effects associated with caffeine, including anxiety and
insomnia. Tablets and capsules containing standardized extracts of
polyphenols, particularly EGCG, are available; some provide up to 97%
polyphenol content-which is equivalent to drinking four cups of tea.
Many of these standardized products are decaffeinated..."
Taken from "Green Tea (Camellia sinensis)" at HerbVigor.com :
http://www.herbvigor.com/menu/Herb/Green_Tea.html


There are also decaffeinated versions of green tea in bags.
Remember DECAFFEINATED MEANS THAT STILL HAS CAFFEINE, but in few
amounts.
So, depending on your heart condition, may be you have chances of
being able to take pills of decaffeinated green tea; but remember
donīt do it without a consultation to a doctor.

I provide you a list of pages where you can find (and buy if your
doctor let you use) decaffeinated green tea:

"Celestial Seasoning"
http://www.celestialseasonings.com/products/green/dgt.jhtml

"Green Tea Extract Capsules"
http://www.thehealthysite.com/new/GreenTeaExtract.htm

"TenRen's Decaffeinated Green Tea Bags"
http://www.tenren.com/decgreenteab.html

"Decaffeinated Green Teas" at allTeas.com
http://www.allteas.com/allteas/decafgreenteas.html 

"Super Green Tea Extract" of Life Extension:
http://www.lef.org/prod_desc/item00444.html

"Decaffeinated Green Tea"
http://www.rootsandsprouts.com/GreenTea.htm


I hope this provides you a little more information and help.

Thank you again for asking to Google Answers.

Best Regards.
livioflores-ga

wow!, thanks for getting back to me so quickly.
Your answer was thourough and well researched.
Thank You. I couldn't find this information anywhere.
I also appreciate the links for additional research.