While studies aimed at proving its effects on cholesterol are ongoing, preliminary research indicates that drinking green tea can help to reduce unhealthy cholesterol while also providing a host of other benefits that simply cannot be ignored by those who are serious about enhancing their health.
Whether or not green tea will be able to replace other methods of cholesterol reduction remains to be seen and dieters are encouraged to wait for further results before putting all of their bad cholesterol eggs into a single basket, but the proof is in the pudding: as an addition to any existing diet, green tea will lower levels of LDL cholesterol.
Green Tea Studies
Recent studies have been conducted that separated patients with high cholesterol levels into two groups, one of which would consume green tea for a given period of time, ranging from three weeks to 90 days, and another which would make no significant changes to their diet. The study found that those who drank the specified amount of green tea each day had a reduced level of LDL cholesterol without fail – up to a 6 percent drop with no other dietary changes.
How Does Green Tea Reduce Cholesterol?
As is the case with many of the benefits of green tea, the jury remains out on exactly how the hot drink reduces cholesterol. Recent studies conducted using non-human mammals have helped researchers to identify polyphenols in green tea that have been previously associated with preventing cholesterol absorption, proving also that green tea can actually help to raise to so-called “good” HDL cholesterol.
For those who smoke cigarettes, green tea has been shown to have even more profound effects, reducing not only harmful cholesterol, but also overall blood pressure in smokers, helping to relieve some of the ill effects of tobacco smoke inhalation while providing a heightened level of cholesterol reduction.
How Much Green Tea Should I Drink?
Trials and studies have seen patients consume varying amounts of green tea, but most doctors agree that a single cup per day contains everything you need to start lowering your level of LDL cholesterol. With many studies monitoring the effects of even several cups per day, there is no good reason not to make green tea a major part of your daily liquid consumption!
Green Tea as a Coffee Replacement
While adding a cup of green tea to your daily diet is an excellent step, consider going even further and allowing green tea to replace some or all of your daily coffee intake. While coffee also offers some health benefits, its typical consumption with cream and sugar makes it a common source of unnecessary fat, while the copious amounts of caffeine that many of us take it via coffee can help lead to higher blood pressure.
The effect on teeth is also worth noting; while coffee has a darkening effect on teeth, green tea has been proven to actually enhance the whiteness of teeth, making a switch from coffee a potentially major boon to your smile as well as to your heart and arteries!
