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ok is the answer yes or no does green tea lower your cholesterol because i drink green tea and i have high cholesterol so i would like to know.
Hi Denise,
The answer is no. Current research does not support a link between green tea and lower cholesterol levels.
If you like green tea, continue to drink it. There may be other benefits that are currently not known.
Lisa Nelson, RD, LN
The Heart of Health - Heart Health and Weight Loss Tips
My cholesterol was 7.9, with diet alone I managed over a 8 month period to lower it to 5.5. Levels then stabilised at 5.5 for the next 6 months. Then was told by a chinese lady to drink three to four cups of green tea a day, 4 months later my cholesterol is now 3.4. I think that whatever works for you do it, it can't hurt.
Here is my experience: Last year I tried taking green tea extract capsules and fish oil pills. My overall cholesterol after fasting was 244 (LDL=174, HDL=48), I already ate well (low fat, lots of veggies, ocassional meat) and exercised regularly. I had already dropped about 30-35lbs over 11 months. So the Dr. wanted statin drugs which I refused. After 90 days on green tea extract and fish oil pills (other stuff the same) my non-fasting cholesterol was 214 (LDL=141, HDL = 44). Still not great numbers, but better. No side effects either. The ratio LDL/HDL went from 3.65 (HI) to 3.20 (Normal). It's time for another checkup (9 mo later), I kept up the whole regime interesting to see what it is now.
I saw results of a study (done in Spain) on a NIH web site that saw 10-15% drop in total cholesterol, my experience 12.3%. I can't find the link to the study any more.
I have type 1 diabetes. I read that green tea lowers blood sugars and prohibits a sticky protein in the blood. I started taking green tea, and I found that some of my blood sugars would go down. I told my doctor, but he didn't want to believe it. I made it clear that it had to be the tea. 2 months ago my A1C was 11. Now my A1C is 9. although I still have some high numbers in the mid 200s, I've had some normal to low numbers. My blood sugars are usually high in the mornings, but if I drink some green tea during breakfast, by mid mornings my blood sugars drop to lows or some normal mid 100s. In the evening readings. I get some mid to low 100s. I actually took the tea to help my cholesterol because I was concerned about taking pills since people are having health problems related to pills. The doctor did some blood work to find out my cholesterol levels. So I have to wait to get the results mailed to see if the tea worked on my cholesterol
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What about the use of green tea capsules? Any opinion?
Hi Robbia,
The studies I reviewed all used green tea, not green tea capsules. I have not studied green tea capsules themselves, but anytime you take away the "food", you are taking away other components that play a role. How significant that role is for green tea versus capsules, I do not know. Great question and something to be looked into further.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson, RD, LN
The Heart of Health - Heart Health and Weight Loss Tips