Drinking green tea can help protect against cardiovascular disease by reducing

cholesterol levels, new research suggests. In one study involving 29 subjects,

 participants drank 1 L of water daily for three weeks, then 1 L of green tea daily

 for four weeks. After drinking green tea each day, the subjects’ blood cholesterol has dropped significantly, particularly LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, while HDL (“good”)

cholesterol levels increased. The researchers concluded that “drinking green tea has a beneficial effects protecting against the risk for cardiovascular disease by  improving blood lipid levels.

Japanese and Taiwanese researchers in another study found that drinking a cup of polyphenol-enriched oolong tea with a high fat meal may increase the amount of

cholesterol excreted by the body by half. Oolong is a traditional Chinese tea,

midway between green and black tea in terms of its oxidation levels.

 The scientist randomly divided 12 healthy adults into two groups, one of which

 received  38 g of fat from potato chips 19 g within 30 minutes of eating lunch

 and dinner) and 750 ml  of a placebo or polyphenol-enriched oolong tea at 3 meals

 per day. A seven-day washout period separated the 10-day test periods.

Drinking green tea may protect against heart disease by improving cholesterol status.

After analyzing periodic blood and fecal samples, researchers found that the

 polyphenol-enriched oolong tea period was associated with a 50% increase in

cholesterol excretion.

Larger studies are needed, as is research into how polyphenols reduce fat absorption.

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CARDIOVASCULAR Health & HEART Disease Prevention