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Green Tea Catechins Lower After-Meal Rise in Blood Fats
Background: Many studies of large
populations have reported a link between high triglyceride levels in the blood
and the risk of coronary heart disease. Can green tea do anything to bring
triglyceride levels down?
Participants: Nine male volunteers with
mildly or moderately high triglyceride levels participated in the consumption of
test meals.
Where: Japan
Type of study: Randomized
triple-crossover
Study Methods: On nine separate
occasions, the men were given a piece of bread spread with 20 g butter, along
with a dose of tea catechins. The dosage of tea catechins was 10 mg (control),
224 mg (moderate dose) or 674 mg (high dose), and each dosage was given three
different times.
Triglyceride levels were measured in the fasting state and 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6
hours after consuming the buttered bread.
What happened: Compared to the control,
moderate and high doses of tea catechins reduced the increase in triglyceride
levels.
Researchers' conclusion: "...tea
catechins attenuated the postprandial increase in plasma triacylglycerol levels
following a fat load. These results may provide evidence for one of the possible
mechanisms involved in lowering the incidence of CVD..."
Citation: Unno T, Tago M, Suzuki Y, et
al. Effect of tea catechins on postprandial plasma lipid responses in human
subjects. British Journal of Nutrition 2005;93(4):543-47.(Click
here to read PubMed study abstract.)
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Nadine Taylor, M.S., R.D. presents
GreenTeaLibrary.com,
the most comprehensive collection of scientific information
describing the health benefits of green tea.
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