West African Green Tea for High Cholesterol

West African Green Tea may help lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels in patients at risk for heart disease, a new study suggests.

Researchers from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, North Carolina and Sinai Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland explained that the Vert (green) is a special type of green tea widely consumed in West Africa and locally associated with many health benefits. However, limited research has been conducted to evaluate its health benefits, such as its enhanced hypolipidemic potential.

Researchers (1) evaluated the cholesterol- and triglyceride-lowering effects of West African green tea (WAGT) as affected by diet and tea intake, (2) determined the impact of WAGT consumption on the CHD risk ratio and (3) explored possible mechanisms through which WAGT improves serum lipid profile.

In the study, 45 male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to one of nine treatment combinations, three diets (regular, high-cholesterol, and trans-fat diets) and three fluid sources (no tea, diluted tea, and concentrated tea). After six weeks of feeding, animal blood, liver and feces were harvested. Total cholesterol, HDLc, LDLc and triglycerides in serum, liver and feces were determined. The concentrations of bile acids in feces were also measured.

According to the scientists, WAGT significantly lowered serum and liver cholesterol (30 percent and 15 percent, respectively) and increased serum HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) (30 percent). It also reduced liver enlargement caused by storage of excess lipids in high-cholesterol diet.

Researchers found that overall, the CHD risk ratio was cut by two-thirds in rats fed high-cholesterol diet and WAGT. A marked increase in fecal total lipids, cholesterol (60 percent) and bile acids (50 percent) was observed in rats that consumed WAGT compared to the control group.

Researchers concluded that the beneficial effects might be attributed to the significantly high flavonoid content of WAGT.

Green tea has also been studied in the treatment of arthritis, asthma, cancer prevention, dental cavity prevention, diabetes, fertility, heart attack prevention, high cholesterol or triglycerides, memory enhancement, menopausal symptoms, mental performance/alertness, prostate cancer (treatment), sun protection/ skin damage, weight loss (maintenance) and anxiety.

For more information on integrative therapies for high cholesterol or heart disease, please visit Natural Standard's Medical Conditions database.

Comments

[Ceadda Wilcox]

I think that with all of the studies out there on green tea, it's safe to say that it is quite good for you, and it most likely has several health benefits. However, I am not a fan of caffeinated beverages in general so I wonder if there is a way to harvest the beneficial constituents of green tea without caffeine. I believe there is decaf green tea, but does it have the same health benefits?

[Leah Cohen]

Green tea certainly has a very long history of use in traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) – and it still is an integral part of Asian culture (it is typical for people in Japan to drink 2-3 cups per day). Based on the historic/folkloric precedent, polyphenol content (antioxidants), as well as promising new studies, there is supportive evidence of green tea's health benefits, and its popularity is sure to grow. (Currently it is sometimes used as an adjunct integrative cancer therapy as well.)

As far as decaffeination, it has been mentioned that this process does not alter levels of polyphenols, which are responsible for many of green tea’s health benefits. (There are some studies available that discuss the bioavailability of decaffeinated green tea: Henning 2006, J Nutr. 2006 Jul;136(7):1839-43; Chow 2003, Clin Cancer Res. 2003 Aug 15;9(9):3312-9.) This will allow people who prefer to limit caffeine to still be able to supplement with green tea, either in tea form or in capsules, which are both available in decaffeinated form. However, it is considered important to look for CO2 extracted forms (also known as Swiss water process), because the conventional decaffeination method commonly involves the use of halogenated hydrocarbon solvents.

[Woods]

When I read this article, I was immediately reminded of Snapple's green tea commercial. I always thought it was odd that they made a point to emphasize that EGCG was in the tea, but they never explained what it was or how it affects the body.

About a year ago or so, I read about green tea's purported benefits for weight loss. For a couple of weeks I drank 1-2 cups of green tea a day, and I maintained my regular physical activity and eating habits. I didn't notice any changes in weight, but there probably isn't enough EGCG in just 1-2 cups of green tea to make much of a difference.

[Cultural relativism]

I don’t understand why there were nine experimental groups. It seems that the authors should have had more rats in each group or simply have created fewer groups.

Also, many of these studies on supplements give the experimental animals the agent every day. I think that there needs to be more public awareness that the impact of consuming an herb or supplement only now and again (as I do) may be less than consuming it every day.

[D. B. Martin]

I can't help but wonder if African green tea differs from the Asian variety, and if so, how...

[Cady B]

Tea is one of the most highly consumed beverages in the world. It’s somewhat comforting for a regular tea drinker to know that something that tastes so good can really be good for you. Researchers at UCLA have claimed a decrease in breast tumor growth with the use of a green tea extract (Sartippour, M.R., et al. 2002. Green tea inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) induction in human breast cancer cells. Journal of Nutrition 132(August):2307-2311). So, not only does green tea help your lipid profile, it may help reduce breast cancer risk as well!

As for the difference between WAGT and Asian green tea, they both seem to have substantial health benefits, even when consumed in small doses. Just 1/3 cup (approximately 87ml/day) of Asian green tea a day, can produce health benefits

[Jen]

I've heard that green tea may help treat symptoms of arthritis. Has anyone tried this before? If so, how much green tea is recommended?

[sann]

Yes, I too have heard about this. Green tea can also treat arthritis in addition to high cholesterol.

This article is also interesting.
To know more about Arthritis and its medication see: http://www.specialistarthritis.com/sitemap.html

[wayne]

Wow, according to this study the rats lost as much cholesterol (serum) as a person taking a 10mg of Lipitor (atorvastatin) every single day!! Imagine doing away with the $200+ a month medication and just sipping a few glasses of green tea, which is quite good anyway! I wonder if the statin companies want us to know about this trial!

[Kalyn]

Many other herbs/plants/fruits and even chocolate contain this flavonoid content. A proper diet and exercise is still a good regimen to be healthy.

[larry]

Is there any benefit in mixing green tea and black tea? I hear it tastes better then plain green tea alone? Does creamer added to it inactivate the ECGC?

[MV]

It seems like there is no harm in drinking green tea, but its direct benefits remain unclear. I think this study is the closest to linking green tea to decreases in serum and liver cholesterol. More research should be conducted to find out whether African green tea's ingredients differ from other green teas and whether this contributes to the effects seen.

[Emily P.]

What a better alternative to coffee for those people who need their caffeine fixes. The health benefits of green tea have been widely known for quite some time, and I would encourage everyone to incorporate it into their diets in some way. I would be interested to learn more about its decaffeinated forms and if anyone has any recommendations for a specific product.

[Paul]

I wonder how much green tea the rats consumed and how that compares to how many cups a day I would need to see these results. I also wonder how this might interact with other drugs and vitamins, with so much bile and cholesterol being excreted in the feces. I imagine the fat soluble vitamins (ADEK) might be excreted too. Still, this is pretty impressive and definitely worth more of a look into! I wonder where you can buy it, just to see how it tastes if anything else. I always like a new type of tea.

[richard]

There are, of course, tinctures available in bottles at health food stores. One can purchase high concentrations of
green tea in this superior form, which is a convenient way of dosing on the go.

[Sharon]

The evidence on green tea and arthritis or other autoimmune diseases is still preliminary, but there is growing evidence of substantial risk reduction with prostate cancer, breast cancer, heart disease, strokes, colds and others.

For more studies on green tea and cholesterol, check out www.green-tea-health-news.com

Many countries now acknowledge that drinking green tea has a public health benefit, but the United States is lagging behind.

[florence]

Thank you for bringing this up. It's a good subject to explore, and I will visit for sure.

[michael]

My own cholesterol was a little high, and I managed to bring it down to about right with green tea capsules, omega-3 and vitamin c (500 mg) per day.