Experts recommend an affordable drink to help naturally reduce cholesterol levels. It’s already popular with young people who prefer it to traditional breakfast tea options.
According to Mintel, Brits under the age of 35 are more open to drinking different varieties of tea than older generations. The survey found that more than half claimed they prefer a steaming cup of green tea over traditional breakfast or black varieties.
This could have huge benefits for cholesterol and heart health. A number of factors can cause high cholesterol – but the most common is an unhealthy diet and lifestyle.
Eating fatty food and not exercising enough can cause a buildup of cholesterol deposits called plaque that block your arteries, leading to a serious risk of a stroke or heart attack. Studies have found that green teas could be beneficial in slashing cholesterol levels and reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes because they contain a certain type of antioxidant.
One piece of research conducted in 2011 found that green tea is enriched with catechins, a plant-based antioxidant, which led to a small reduction in ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol. The experts noted that it didn’t make changes to ‘good’ HDL cholesterol.
In 2013, another review found that having green or black tea daily (either as a drink or capsule) helps lower your cholesterol and blood pressure. However, most of the clinical trials included in this review were short-term, so the authors warned that longer-term trials were needed to back up their findings.
A year later, data from several studies found evidence of a small reduction in blood pressure for people with high blood pressure who consumed green tea. However, whether this reduction was significant enough to reduce your risk of heart problems or stroke was unclear.
A more recent study from 2020 also found that drinking green tea “significantly lowered” the total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels of its 3,320 subjects. This study also cemented the fact that green tea cannot help increase your ‘good’ HDL cholesterol levels.
Overall, including a cup of green tea in your diet cannot harm your health and is much better than traditional teas. In fact, it could help naturally manage your ‘bad’ cholesterol levels alongside a balanced diet and taking any medication that a doctor has prescribed.
Thankfully, it’s not expensive to switch up your tea choice —or at least have the option available. Currently, you can buy a box of 40 Diplomat Pure Green Tea Bags from Aldi for 65p, which works out to less than 1p per cup (using one teabag).
Your doctor will likely recommend a strict diet and encourage physical activity. Most people are also given medication like statins to get their levels under control.