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Abertay University is seeking Tayside and Fife tea drinkers to take part in new research project
Nutritional enhancements to English Breakfast Tea could be set to unlock significant health benefits for postmenopausal women.
Abertay University in Dundee is working with women’s health innovation company Oshun Labs on a study which will gauge the effects of a new, naturally enriched tea blend, designed to be high in nutrients.
Funded through a grant from UK Research and Innovation, the project seeks to determine how the tea can impact on health challenges commonly faced by postmenopausal women due to decreased oestrogen, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), a leading cause of premature death in UK women.
Researchers created the tea to be high in antioxidants while retaining the traditional taste, smell and colour of a standard English Breakfast blend.
The academic team is now recruiting for study participants aged 45-74 from who will be asked to drink the tea on a daily basis for a period of eight weeks, in addition to visiting Abertay University’s human physiology labs in Dundee twice over the study period for blood testing and body measurements.
Lead researcher Dr Sarah Cottin of Abertay University’s Faculty of Social and Applied Sciences said causes of CVD in women remain significantly under-explored, despite the enhanced risk during and after menopause.
Dr Cottin added:
We know the UK is a nation of tea drinkers so there is really positive potential for using a cuppa as the delivery vehicle for additional nutrients. The symptoms of menopause are varied and impact life at many levels, including work and relationships, however many women are unaware that their symptoms may be related to menopause and don’t necessarily make the link. There needs to be more public awareness around the issue and more research is required to better understand the links between nutrition, menopausal symptoms and cardiovascular health, and the risk of potentially serious health conditions such as deep vein thrombosis, heart failure, stroke or heart attack.
Oestrogen has a beneficial effect on lipid metabolism and prevents the deposition of fats in the arterial wall, a phenomenon called atherosclerosis. This protects women from CVD compared to men, however when women hit menopause oestrogen levels fall, leading to an increased CVD risk even higher than that of men of the same age.
CVD is among the leading causes of death in women in the UK and globally. According to the British Heart Foundation, it kills around 25,000 people prematurely (under the age of 75) in the UK each year and kills more than twice as many women as breast cancer.
During the Abertay study, participants will find out more about their own body composition, vascular function, cholesterol levels and general health.
Study participants must be healthy non-smokers and will be compensated for their time. To learn more or register your interest, please visit this website.
