Green tea improves cholesterol levels in overweight women

A study published in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine showed that green tea reduces low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels in overweight women. This finding by researchers from National Yang-Ming University and Taipei City Hospital was based on the results of a randomized, double-blind, and cross-over placebo-controlled clinical trial.

• High LDL level is a major risk factor of cardiovascular disease, especially in obese individuals. It is important to find remedies for this condition since heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide.
• Although there are conventional treatments for reducing LDL levels, these have been associated with side effects like impaired liver function. Because of this, scientists are now exploring the potential of alternatives like herbal medicine for this purpose.
• Green tea from Camellia sinensis leaves is one of the most widely consumed drinks in the world. It has been shown to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties as well as the ability to lower blood pressure, positively alter fat metabolism, improve insulin resistance, and increase energy expenditure.
• In this study, the researchers determined the effects of green tea extracts on biochemical and physiological properties of overweight and obese women.
• To do this, they assessed parameters including triglyceride, cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, and LDL levels. They also evaluated obesity-related hormone peptides like leptin, insulin, ghrelin, adiponectin, apolipoprotein (Apo) A1 and apolipoprotein B100.
• The results showed green tea extracts effectively reduced LDL levels and increased leptin production. However, the other parameters did not exhibit significant improvements.

Overall, these results suggest that overweight women can greatly benefit from drinking green tea since it can reduce their LDL levels.

The full text of the study is available at this link.

Read more news articles on the benefits of green tea by visiting NaturalHealth.news.

Journal Reference:

Huang LH, Liu CY, Wang LY, Huang CJ, Hsu CH. EFFECTS OF GREEN TEA EXTRACT ON OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE WOMEN WITH HIGH LEVELS OF LOW DENSITY-LIPOPROTEIN-CHOLESTEROL (LDL-C): A RANDOMISED, DOUBLE-BLIND, AND CROSS-OVER PLACEBO-CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 6 November 2018;18(294). DOI: 10.1186/s12906-018-2355-x