Tea's Effect on Atherosclerosis Pilot Study (TEA Study)

March 10, 2017 updated by: Kenneth Mukamal, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

The researchers propose a pilot study of the effect of long-term tea intake on atherosclerosis. Thirty patients at high risk for cardiovascular disease will be recruited and randomized to a six-month period of consumption of 3 cups per day of either tea, supplied as black tea solids readily dissolved in hot or cold liquid, or water.

At baseline and after 6 months, atherosclerosis in the aorta will be assessed using magnetic resonance imaging. The primary outcomes of this pilot study will be compliance with tea intake and 2 MRI examinations. As secondary outcomes, standard and novel cardiovascular risk markers, including inflammatory, prothrombotic, fibrinolytic, vascular and metabolic factors will be measured.

If successful, this pilot study will form the basis for a larger, long-term randomized trial to determine the effect of tea consumption on progression of atherosclerosis.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Tea is widely thought to have health benefits, particularly on cardiovascular disease (CVD). The investigator's group recently found that intake of 2 or more cups of tea per day was associated with a 44% lower long-term mortality rate than abstention from tea among 1900 patients hospitalized with myocardial infarction. Short-term trials support a benefit of tea on endothelial function, but long-term randomized trials of tea intake on CVD and atherosclerosis are needed to test the effects of tea definitively.

The researchers propose a proof-of-principle pilot study of the effect of long-term tea intake on atherosclerosis. From a large hospital-based primary care practice, 30 patients at high risk for CVD will be recruited and randomized to a six-month period of consumption of 3 cups per day of either tea, supplied as black tea solids readily dissolved in hot or cold liquid, or water. The polyphenol content of these solids will be confirmed at baseline, and a single batch of tea throughout the study will be used. At baseline and after 6 months, aortic atherosclerosis using magnetic resonance imaging, an accurate and reproducible method for measurement of arterial plaque size, will be assessed. Adherence using urinary catechins, the primary flavonoids in tea, will be measured. The primary outcomes will be compliance with tea intake and 2 MRI examinations. As secondary outcomes, standard and novel cardiovascular risk markers, including inflammatory, prothrombotic, fibrinolytic, and metabolic factors will be measured. The researchers will also assess the effects of tea consumption on oxidizability of LDL and VLDL cholesterol, using a novel affinity-column chromatography approach, and on endothelial integrity, as assessed by serum markers of endothelial function. If successful, this pilot study will form the basis for a larger, long-term randomized trial to determine the effect of tea consumption on progression of atherosclerosis.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment

30

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02215
        • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

55 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age greater than or equal to 55 years and the presence of either diabetes or two other cardiovascular risk factors. These risk factors will include hypertension, current smoking, LDL cholesterol ≥ 130 mg/dl, HDL cholesterol <40 mg/dl, or family history of premature coronary heart disease (as defined by Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines).

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with a history of congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction, arterial revascularization procedure (coronary, carotid, or peripheral), stroke, angina, or intermittent claudication will be excluded from this study. Either self-report or medical record evidence of these diagnoses will suffice for exclusion
  • Intolerance or allergy to tea consumption
  • Severe claustrophobia or intolerance to previous MRI examinations
  • Standard MRI contraindications (for example, a pacemaker, intra-auricular implants, or intracranial clips)
  • Severe illness expected to cause death or profound disability within six months
  • Uncontrolled hypertension (blood pressure greater than or equal to 180/110)
  • Chronic renal failure (serum creatinine >2.5 mg/dl or dialysis)
  • History of hyponatremia in the last year (sodium <130 mEq/dl)
  • Use of vitamin supplements greater than the recommended daily allowance
  • Inability to speak English
  • Lack of a working telephone

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
The primary outcomes will be compliance with tea intake and 2 MRI examinations.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Standard and novel cardiovascular risk markers, including inflammatory, prothrombotic, fibrinolytic, serum markers of endothelial function and metabolic factors. We will also assess oxidizability of LDL and VLDL cholesterol.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Collaborators

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Murray A Mittleman, MD, DrPH, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

July 1, 2003

Study Completion (Actual)

April 1, 2005

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 7, 2005

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 7, 2005

First Posted (Estimate)

July 15, 2005

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 14, 2017

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 10, 2017

Last Verified

March 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2003P000089
  • R21AT001899 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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