May Topic "Green Tea Lowers Cholesterol"

[lostandfound]

My Dr. suggested a cup of green tea a day to help reduce cholesterol. So I did a little research and I am so amazed at the benefits of using it.

Tea's health benefits are largely due to its high content of flavonoids—plant-derived compounds that are antioxidants. Green tea is the best food source of a group called catechins. In test tubes, catechins are more powerful than vitamins C and E in halting oxidative damage to cells and appear to have other disease-fighting properties. Studies have found an association between consuming green tea and a reduced risk for several cancers, including, skin, breast, lung, colon, esophageal, and bladder.

Additional benefits for regular consumers of green and black teas include a reduced risk for heart disease. The antioxidants in green, black, and oolong teas can help block the oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol, increase HDL (good) cholesterol and improve artery function. A Chinese study published recently in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed a 46%-65% reduction in hypertension risk in regular consumers of oolong or green tea, compared to non-consumers of tea.

Read more here....
http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_..._green_tea.htm

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

More here....

http://www.newhope.com/nutritionscie...s9.cfm?path=ex

[tickletussler]

I've tried green tea ice cream and it's pretty mad :yummy :yes ... but pity you can't buy a low carb/no sugar version of it.

[2big4mysize]

and not just green tea but black tea has the same chemicals too. It lowers cholesterol ( coffee raises it BTW) and blood pressure and helps breakdown the fats too but you need to be drinking 4 or more glasses a day to see any changes.

[jamieanzu]

The green tea you speak of, is it the japanese green tea or the teabags you find at the grocery store?

[Gendoyle]

Just wanted to say thank you for this information!

I am uping my green tea and lowering my coffee intake. I tested high a few times for blood pressure, stress at work and my 8 cup a day coffee obsessions. So, I replaced 4 cups with green and black teas and try my best to use decaf as much as possible. Just not a morning person, but I can be trained.

[Chora]

This is good news for me...since my cholestoral is high and I am trying hard to avoid eating fried food, I can drink green tea. For some reason I thought drinking tea is not good in Atkins Bible.