Academic Journal
Main Category: Cholesterol
Also Included In: Nutrition / Diet
Article Date: 17 Nov 2011 - 2:00 PST
A new analysis of published studies finds that consuming green tea, either as a beverage or in capsule form, is linked to significant but modest reductions in total and LDL or "bad" cholesterol, but the researchers found no link with HDL or "good" cholesterol and triglycerides. Dr Olivia J. Phung, of the College of Pharmacy at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California, and colleagues, write about their findings in the November issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
Green tea contains catechins, polyphenolic compounds that are known to exert numerous protective effects, particularly on the cardiovascular system.
However, Phung and colleagues note that although randomized controlled trials have examined the effect of green tea catechins on blood fats or lipids, including cholesterol, these have been small and shown conflicting results.
So they decided to pool and analyze the evidence so far from all the studies they could find that examined the relationship between consumption of green tea catechins and changes in levels of total, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides.
They searched all the recognized databases up to March 2010 and found 20 randomized controlled trials, covering a total of 1,415 participants, that reported changes in at least one of these levels.
When they pooled and analyzed the data from these trials, they found that: Green tea catechins, at doses ranging from 145 to 3,000 mg per day (including consumption as green tea beverage and extract in capsules) taken for 3 to 24 weeks, led to statistically significant reductions in total and LDL ("bad") cholesterol compared to controls who did not consume any.
Green tea catechins did not alter HDL ("good") cholesterol or triglyceride levels.The results showed that the beverage form of green tea was more consistently effective than capsules, though the overall benefits were quite small, Phung told Reuters news agency in an email where she urged patients already taking cholesterol-lowering medication not to switch to green tea, either as capsules or as a beverage.
Written by Catharine Paddock PhD
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today
Visit our cholesterol section for the latest news on this subject. "Green Tea Catechins Decrease Total and Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol: A Systematic Review and Meta- Analysis"; Amie Kim, Andrew Chiu, Meredith K. Barone, Diane Avino, Fei Wang, Craig I. Coleman, Olivia J. Phung; Journal of the American Dietetic Association November 2011; Vol. 111, Issue 11, Pages 1720-1729; DOI: 10.1016/j.jada.2011.08.009; Link to Abstract.
Additional source: "Green tea may trim 'bad' cholesterol: study" Reuters 16 Nov 2011. Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:
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