Drinking Green Tea Might Prevent The Absorption of Cholesterol

Drinking Green Tea Might Prevent The Absorption of
Cholesterol by Jon Stout

should only be very small amounts of the bad cholesterol in your blood.

Imbalances in your levels of cholesterol can lead to many diseases, one of which is
atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a hardening of the arteries caused by damage
caused by high levels of bad cholesterol and other factors.

Studies revealed that green tea consumption in rats appears to lower their levels of
bad cholesterol and even prevents them from getting high cholesterol when they are
on high cholesterol diets. This has significant implications for the use of green tea in
humans to prevent high cholesterol and heart disease. There are still more studies
and research to be done before researchers can confirm that green tea indeed has
such benefits.

Researchers have also studied how green tea was able to protect rats on high
cholesterol diets from getting bad cholesterol. In 2000, a study came out that shed
some light on how green tea is able to keep LDL-cholesterol levels down in
laboratory rats. Doctors Teddy T.C. Yang and Marcel W.L. Koo studied the effects of
Lung Chen tea consumption on a group of laboratory rats with high cholesterol diets.

Lung Chen tea is also known as Long Jing tea. It is a green tea, meaning that the
leaves are unoxidized. Whereas other green tea leaves are steamed, Lung Chen tea
is pan fried to stop the oxidation process. This tea is usually found to contain the
highest levels of antioxidants, called catechins, of all teas. It's typically very expensive
and has a sweet flavor.

The doctors fed a group of male laboratory rats different diets according to their
group status. The first group got a regular diet of Purina Rat chow and unlimited
amounts of tap water. This was the control group. The other rat groups were given a
1% cholesterol diet with 0.5% cholic acid. Those in the cholesterol group were
divided further into groups receiving 1%, 2% and 4% solutions of Lung Chen Tea to
drink. One group didn't receive any of the tea, but did receive the high cholesterol
diet.

After eight weeks, the doctors collected two day's worth of fecal matter from each
of the groups and examined the contents. After nine weeks, they collected blood
samples and examined the rat's livers.

Immediately, they noticed that the rats in the high cholesterol group that didn't get
any Lung Chen tea had gained the most weight, while the rats in the 2% and 4%
Lung Chen tea groups had actually lost a small amount of weight compared to the
control group which remained on the rat chow.

Also, the blood samples revealed that while all the rats on the high cholesterol diet
had a higher cholesterol level than those in the control group, the rats that had
received the 2% and 4% solutions of Lung Chen tea had the lowest cholesterol levels
of those in the high cholesterol group. It appeared that the Lung Chen tea protected
them, which is what other studies previously had shown.

When the doctors examined the fecal content of the rats, they found that the groups
with the 2% and 4% solutions of Lung Chen tea had higher levels of lipid and
cholesterol excretion than those in the high cholesterol diet without any tea. This
means that the Lung Chen tea is working to keep the cholesterol levels in the blood
down by keeping it from being absorbed in the intestinal tract. Doctors theorize that
this may be one of the mechanisms by which Lung Chen tea and possibly other
green teas operate to help protect the body from high cholesterol diets.

Of course, this is only a study in rats and still needs to be examined in humans, but
there is definite evidence that drinking green teas can help you maintain lower
cholesterol levels.

About The Author

Jon M. Stout is the Chairman of the Golden Moon Tea Company. Golden Moon Tea
carefully selects the finest rare and orthodox teas, which are processed slowly and
handcrafted with extreme care. At their website, you can learn more about their
current tea offerings, including their exceptional green tea
[http://www.goldenmoontea.com/greentea/], white tea, black tea, oolong tea (also
known as wu-long and wu long tea [http://www.goldenmoontea.com/wu-long/])
and chai. Visit goldenmoontea.com for all details concerning the Golden Moon Tea
Company's fine line of teas.

There are many studies being
conducted on the effects of drinking
green tea and how it can benefit the
body. Along with its possible
antioxidant qualities, there are also
studies pointing to the possibility that
green tea can help you maintain and
even lower your cholesterol levels.

Cholesterol comes in two forms,
'good' or HDL-cholesterol and 'bad'
or LDL-cholesterol. Doctors are very
concerned about the balance of these
two types of cholesterol. Ideally,
there should be more good
cholesterol than bad. Also, there

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The content on
this website is for educational purposes only. Please consult with your physician before using natural
remedies and before making any drastic changes to your diet or exercise program.