Is it true that green tea lowers cholesterol? How to drink it effectively

Introduction

Many people are concerned about their cholesterol levels during health checkups.
We recommend green tea for such people. Numerous studies have shown that certain components in green tea improve cholesterol levels.

What is cholesterol anyway?

Before that, everyone, do you know anything about cholesterol?

Cholesterol is one of the four types of lipids in the body. Although cholesterol tends to be treated as the bad guy, it plays an essential role in maintaining our health as a component of cell membranes, hormones, bile acids, etc.

The difference between good and bad cholesterol

There are two main types of cholesterol:

1. LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol)

   : It can accumulate in the walls of blood vessels and cause arteriosclerosis.

2. HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol)

   : It collects LDL cholesterol that has accumulated in the blood vessel walls and transports it to the liver.

Thus, it is LDL cholesterol that is the main problem.

When LDL cholesterol levels become high, it is diagnosed as hypercholesterolemia, which is known to increase the risk of arteriosclerosis, cerebral infarction, myocardial infarction, and other conditions.

The true substance that lowers cholesterol

Now, back to the main topic. The substance in green tea that lowers cholesterol is polyphenols. It is known that the action of polyphenols reduces blood cholesterol.

Green tea is rich in a compound called polyphenols. The polyphenol content per 100g is as follows. From this, you can see just how much polyphenol is contained in green tea.

Polyphenol content per 100g

• Red wine: 230
• Matcha: 200
• Coffee: 200
• Green tea (sencha): 115
• Black tea: 96
• Tomato/vegetable juice: 69
• Cocoa: 62
• Burdock: 49
• Spinach: 42
• Oolong tea: 39
• Soy milk: 36
• Barley tea: 9

What are polyphenols anyway?

Polyphenols are a general term for the bitter, astringent, and pigment components that plants produce to protect themselves from ultraviolet rays, pests, and diseases.

There are over 5,000 types of polyphenols, which are classified into flavonoids, anthocyanins, polyphenolic acids, etc. based on their structure.

Polyphenols are found in large amounts in red wine, green tea, coffee, cocoa, chocolate, nuts, berries, etc. Catechin, which is found in large amounts in green tea, is also a type of polyphenol.

4 Scientific Reasons Why Polyphenols Lower Cholesterol Levels

The mechanism by which polyphenols lower cholesterol levels is mainly due to the following four actions:

1. Prevents the oxidation and accumulation of LDL cholesterol

Polyphenols have a strong antioxidant effect. When LDL cholesterol accumulates in the walls of blood vessels, it oxidizes and becomes bad cholesterol, which causes arteriosclerosis. Polyphenols have the effect of preventing the oxidation and accumulation of LDL cholesterol.

2. It inhibits cholesterol absorption in the intestinal tract

It is known that catechin and theanine, which are types of polyphenols, have the effect of suppressing cholesterol absorption in the intestinal tract. By suppressing the absorption of cholesterol ingested from food into the blood, they are expected to have the effect of lowering blood cholesterol levels.

3. It increases HDL cholesterol

HDL cholesterol is called good cholesterol and has the function of removing bad cholesterol that has accumulated in the walls of blood vessels. Flavonoids, a type of polyphenol, have been shown to increase HDL cholesterol.

4. It lowers LDL cholesterol

Catechin, a type of polyphenol that is abundant in tea, is said to have the effect of reducing LDL cholesterol. On the other hand, it has no effect on "good" HDL cholesterol, and also has the effect of suppressing the absorption of body fat.

In this way, incorporating tea into your daily life can be effective in managing your cholesterol.

There has long been a lot of scientific research into the effect of tea on lowering cholesterol, and its effectiveness has been confirmed.

In human clinical trials, it has been reported that consuming green tea has improved cholesterol levels, and in response to this, many foods for specified health uses have been sold in recent years. There are various types of tea, such as green tea and oolong tea, but all of them claim to suppress the absorption of fat through the action of polyphenols.

Recommended types of tea for those who are conscious about cholesterol

There are many types of tea that we recommend, but from the standpoint of ease of drinking, the one we most recommend is green tea (regular sencha) .

As mentioned above, green tea is rich in polyphenols, which are expected to have a cholesterol-lowering effect. In addition to enjoying it with meals, it is a good idea to drink it regularly when you want to wake up refreshed in the morning or when you want to relax at night.

Next, we highly recommend matcha . You may not think of drinking it on a daily basis, but matcha contains about twice as much polyphenol as green tea, and is expected to have great health benefits.

To begin with, matcha refers to tea made by grinding the finest quality tea leaves into a powder. Compared to green tea, which is made by extracting the tea leaves and drinking them, matcha is made by dissolving finely ground tea leaves directly into hot water, allowing you to absorb all of the polyphenols into your body. Furthermore, matcha contains more catechins than other teas, and is said to have great health benefits.

Oolong tea also contains enzymes that are believed to help break down fat.

Besides Japanese tea, herbal tea and rooibos tea are also recommended. For example, rooibos tea contains flavonoids, which are said to help improve cholesterol levels.

Different types of tea contain different ingredients, so it is important to choose the tea that best suits your body.

How to drink tea to lower cholesterol

Here are some more effective ways to drink tea to lower cholesterol:

1. When to drink

Drinking tea with meals can help prevent the rise in blood sugar levels after meals and inhibit the absorption of cholesterol.

It's okay to drink it just before a meal, but it may stimulate your stomach and increase your appetite, and taking caffeine on an empty stomach may promote the secretion of stomach acid, so it's not a good idea. The best thing to do is drink it during a meal.

2. Tea brewing temperature

Make sure to brew it at a high temperature of over 80 degrees. By brewing tea with hot water, the polyphenols are thoroughly extracted, allowing you to consume them more effectively.

3. Amount and frequency of drinking

Aim to consume about 3 to 4 cups a day.

It is recommended to drink tea with meals or during afternoon tea time. Proper control of tea intake can help improve cholesterol levels.

summary

How was it?

The polyphenols contained in tea have the effect of reducing cholesterol and are said to be effective in preventing lifestyle-related diseases such as cancer triggered by active oxygen, arteriosclerosis, and myocardial infarction.

In addition, it has various other health benefits, such as preventing diabetes by suppressing sugar absorption, and preventing tooth decay and bad breath by suppressing the growth of Streptococcus mutans.

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's "Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese (2017 edition)" does not currently specify how much polyphenols should be consumed, but it is believed that consuming polyphenols on a daily basis can be beneficial for health and disease prevention.

Of course, no matter how good it is for your body, drinking too much is strictly prohibited. Excessive intake of the caffeine contained in green tea can actually have a negative effect on your body. In order to lower your cholesterol level, it is important not only to drink tea, but also to review your diet and get moderate exercise.

Please try incorporating tea into your daily life by experimenting with different ways to drink it.