Green Tea Lowers Cholesterol

Not only have Chinese researchers determined that certain chemicals in green tea lower cholesterol in animals, they've figured out how they work.

Ping Tim Chan and colleagues at the Chinese University of Hong Kong fed hamsters a high fat diet to raise their triglyceride and cholesterol levels to those of humans. They then fed the hamsters differing levels of epicatechins extracted from jasmine green tea for four to five weeks and compared them with hamsters that drank green tea and a control group that had water.

Epicatechins and green tea had exactly the same effect: Both lowered blood levels of triglycerides and cholesterol more than water. The effective doses researchers used are comparable to a person drinking three daily cups of tea. Animals drinking the human equivalent of 15 cups a day lowered both triglycerides and total cholesterol by a third.

Epicatechins and green tea also lowered apoB, the main protein in harmful low density lipoprotein (LDL), by almost a half. ApoB levels predict heart disease more accurately than any cholesterol measure.

According to the researchers, epicatechins block cholesterol absorption and increase excretion of cholesterol-containing bile salts and fatty acids. The chemicals also speed the breakdown of triglycerides to fatty acids so they can be burned as energy. Other studies show that in addition to their effect on blood fats, epicatechins are powerful antioxidants that lower blood pressure and protect against cancer.

—Journal of Nutrition 1999 Jun;129:1094-101