Abstract: With the accelerated pace of life, diseases caused by long-term high-sugar and high-energy dietary habits and oxidative stress caused by factors such as strenuous exercise may cause damage to the myocardium to varying degrees and consequently affect human health. Tea polyphenols have been reported to be effective in enhancing physical endurance, stimulating skeletal muscle anabolism, and preventing cardiovascular system diseases, but their protective effects on the myocardium and the underlying mechanisms have not yet been reviewed in detail and systematically. Therefore, this article reviews recent progress in research on the effects of tea polyphenols in enhancing and protecting myocardial function and the underlying mechanisms. We hope that exogenous dietary supplementation of tea polyphenols will be applied to prevent, alleviate and even treat myocardial diseases in humans and animals in the future.

Key words: tea polyphenols; oxidative damage; myocardial protection; mechanism of action