Low-density lipoprotein, or LDL cholesterol, is also known as "bad" cholesterol as it can lead to heart attack, heart disease or stroke. Along with exercise and a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet, incorporating certain teas, such as black tea, into your daily routine may be able to help reduce your LDL cholesterol.
Mate Tea
For centuries, mate tea has been cultivated for medicinal uses, and may even be able to help decrease your LDL levels. Elvira de Mejia, a scientist from the University of Illinois, published a study analyzing the effects of mate tea on cholesterol in a September 2007 volume of "Planta Medica." When studying individuals who consumed .5L of coffee, milk or mate tea daily, de Mejia and researchers saw a 10 percent increase in the activity of paraoxonase-1 in the tea drinkers. This is significant as paraoxonase-1 is an antioxidant enzyme that can help reduce LDL and stimulate HDL or "good" cholesterol.
Black Tea
A study published by the "Journal of Nutrition" in October 2003 provides evidence that black tea may offer cholesterol-lowering benefits. According to researcher Joseph T. Judd, black tea reduced overall blood lipids in volunteers with mildly high cholesterol by about 6 to 10 percent in a mere three weeks. The experiment suggests that along with a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet, black tea may be able to help decrease your LDL cholesterol.
Green Tea
Like black tea, green tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant and may lend a helping hand in keeping your total cholesterol low. According to a study of men the University of Maryland Medical Center cites, those who consume green tea are more likely to have lower total cholesterol than those who do not drink it. One reason green tea is good for your cholesterol is that it's rich in antioxidants called polyphenols that may help suppress the way your body absorbs cholesterol.
Pu-erh Tea
Another tea that may be effective for lowering LDL cholesterol is pu-erh tea. A study on rats published in 2005 by the "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry" offers supporting evidence that pu-erh tea -- also from the Camellia sinensis plant -- may not only decrease LDL, but increase HDL as well. Journalist Zephyr Faegen reported on NaturalNews.com in 2009 another experiment involving pu-erh tea and cholesterol conducted by researchers from Kunming Medical College in China. When comparing pu-erh tea with a cholesterol-lowering drug called PCIB, researchers discovered that pu-erh tea may help reduce cholesterol almost as much as the medication itself. During the study, PCIB users reduced their cholesterol by almost 67 percent, while tea drinkers decreased their cholesterol by a little over 64 percent.
References
- ScienceDaily; Mate Tea Lowers Cholesterol; October 2007
- "The Journal of Nutrition"; Black Tea Consumption Reduces Total and LDL Cholesterol in Mildly Hypercholesterolemic Adults; Michael J. Davies, et al.; October 2003
- U.S. Department of Agriculture; Study Shows Tea Consumption Lowers Blood Cholesterol; Rosalie Marion Bliss; September 2003
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Green Tea
- "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry"; Comparative Studies on the Hypolipidemic and Growth Suppressive Effects of Oolong, Black, Pu-erh, and Green Tea Leaves in Rats; Kuan-Li Kuo, et al.; January 2005
- NaturalNews.com; Pu-erh Tea Is a Chinese Cholesterol Remedy and Overall Health Tonic; Zephyr Faegen; August 2009
