Tea may help slow reduction of ‘good cholesterol’ as we age
A study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association suggests that drinking at least a cup of tea a day may help your body cling to heart-helping “good cholesterol” as you age.
A study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association suggests that drinking at least a cup of tea a day may help your body cling to heart-helping “good cholesterol” as you age. Previous research has suggested more tea may significantly lower the risk of heart disease and stroke by reducing low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, the “bad” cholesterol that can build up in arteries. What’s uncertain is tea’s effect on high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, the healthy cholesterol that helps eliminate LDL. Some studies found that tea significantly increased HDL, while others found no consequence at all.
The study monitored more than 80,000 people from the Kailuan community of Tangshan, China, over a six-year period. It found regular tea drinkers had a slower age-related decrease in HDL levels. That decline was linked to an eventual 8% decrease in cardiovascular risk among those in the study.
Green tea had a slightly stronger effect than black tea, but both are full of polyphenols and catechins, two antioxidant compounds recognized for their anti-inflammatory properties. The researchers did not collect data on coffee, which is not popular in that area of China.
The link between greater tea consumption and slower HDL decreases appeared the most pronounced in men and in people aged 60 and older who typically had higher heart disease risk factors such as tobacco use, larger body mass index, and low physical activity levels.
There were several limitations to the study, though. For example, findings were based on self-reported information about weekly or monthly tea consumption and did not reflect whether people drank more than one cup a day. The study also lacked key dietary information, including details about intake of fruits, vegetables, meat, and whole grains. In addition, the study examined people from a specific community in China that isn’t representative of the nation’s population at large.
“However, the results represent a large cohort of individuals living in China who have a wide range of tea intakes and a low intake of coffee,” the study’s authors noted.