Abertay Tea for Cardiovascular Health During Menopause
The Effect of the Fermented Seaweed Enriched Abertay Tea on Vascular Function and Markers of Cardiovascular Risk During Menopause
Abertay University
44 participants
Jun 16, 2025
INTERVENTIONAL
Conditions
Summary
The regular consumption of seaweed, as observed in Japan, is associated to a reduced cardiovascular risk and prolonged life expectancy. Interventional studies have shown that brown seaweed consumption can reduce blood pressure, improve glycaemic control and lipoprotein profiles, although this varies with population, dose, duration and the type of seaweed. Brown seaweed appears the most promising to improve cardiovascular risk, due to the presence of specific antioxidants (polyphenols called phlorotannins), pigments (fucoxanthin) and fibre (alginate, fucoidan). Women see their cardiovascular risk greatly increased when they reach menopause, and seaweed consumption may provide benefits for this population. In the UK, 98% of UK residents drink tea daily (Source UKTIA), with English breakfast tea being the most popular. Providing a tea enriched with beneficial compounds has the potential to improve cardiovascular health in a wide range of the population, including postmenopausal women. Abertay university (Dundee, UK) has recently developed an English Breakfast tea enriched with fermented seaweed, which was found to taste like English breakfast tea. We hypothesise that the consumption of 3 cups a day of the Abertay-developed Tea (AberTea) for 8 weeks, with each tea bag containing 1g of fermented seaweed, will improve vascular function and cardiovascular risk factors in postmenopausal women.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria3
- Postmenopausal status: no menstrual period over the last 12 months
- Regular tea drinkers (at least once a week), willingness to consume 3 cups of English breakfast tea per day for 8 weeks
- BMI between 18.5 and 39.99 kg/m2
Exclusion Criteria11
- Reported history of CVD (myocardial infarction, angina, venous thrombosis, stroke, dyslipidemia), diabetes (or fasting glucose ≥ 6.1 mmol/L), kidney, liver or bowel disease.
- Recent history of cancer (<1y)
- History indicative of a congenital or acquired platelet or haemostatic defect.
- Presence of gastrointestinal disorder or use of drug, which is likely to alter gastrointestinal motility or nutrient absorption.
- Recent use of hypolipidaemic, antiplatelet or antithrombotic medications
- Impairment of thyroid function
- Current smokers or vapers
- Current self-reported weekly alcohol intake exceeding 14 units
- Current or recent use of hormone replacement therapy (<3 months)
- Recent participation in another clinical trial (<3 months)
- Allergy or intolerance to crustaceans or iodine
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Interventions
Participants will consume 3 cups of tea per day - spread out during the day, for 8 weeks. For each cup, they will be asked to briefly stir one tea bag (3g tea + 1 g fermented seaweed) into 250mL boiling water and let it brew for 3minutes, before removing the tea bag without squeezing it.
Participants will consume 3 cups of tea per day - spread out during the day, for 8 weeks. For each cup, they will be asked to briefly stir one tea bag (3g tea) into 250mL boiling water and let it brew for 3minutes, before removing the tea bag without squeezing it.
Locations(1)
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NCT07070635