Green Tea and Cholesterol
We all need some cholesterol for good health but too much cholesterol in our blood can raise the risk of a heart attack or stroke. The extra cholesterol in our blood may be stored in our arteries and cause them to narrow. Large deposits of cholesterol can completely block an artery which can result in a heart attack or stroke. There are 2 types of cholesterol, one is bad cholesterol (LDL) – low-density lipoproteins which delivers cholesterol to the body and the other (HDL) is the good cholesterol which removes cholesterol from the blood stream. How does tea affect our cholesterol levels? Tea contains high amounts of flavenoids, which are potent antioxidants. These antioxidants are good for the heart. They lower the bad cholesterol (LDL) and raise good cholesterol (HDL). One of the studies that was done showed that taking extracts from tea in the form of a pill can actually lower your cholesterol. In the study done in China, researchers looked at over 200 people of Asian descent. They had moderate to severely elevated cholesterol. The people were divided into 2 groups and one group was given the pill, a soft gel capsule with tea extract. After 12 weeks, the group who had been taking the pill actually had a 16 percent decrease in the bad cholesterol.
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