Tea, black or green, is good for you...

As a tea drinker, both English (or Ceylon as in 'teh tarik' or the 'teh' we get in 'kopitiam') and Chinese tea, any report about the goodness of tea is welcome. Occasionally, I take local coffee, like the white coffee which Ipoh is famous for. But I cannot take Nescafe nor those tea which is made from powder without feeling uncomfortable... there must be some ingredient in them which is not agreeable to my body system.

Just a layman's guess - there might be some truth in the following report. My wife and a sister: one is not particular while the other is very particular about food; one is a tea drinker while the other drinks coffee; yet both have almost same cholesterol levels. This is assuming both have the same genes! Anyway, anything that makes one feel good is a good thing to know!

A traditional cuppa is as good for you as green tea, say researchers

German study has found that regular tea blocks cholesterol just as effectively as green tea.

An ordinary English cuppa is as good for the health of your heart as green tea, say researchers.

Experiments show black tea blocks the absorption of 'bad' cholesterol into the blood just as effectively as green tea, which has been hailed for its health benefits for centuries.

Several past studies have linked black tea, with or without milk, to the lowering of bad cholesterol - and therefore heart disease risk.

But a German study, published in the science journal Basic Research in Cardiology, is the first to suggest why.

Researchers found theaflavins in black tea - caused by the fermentation leaves undergo before they are dried - prevent the formation of particles that allow cholesterol to travel from the stomach to the blood.

Green tea differs from black as it is not fermented.

But it has similar cholesterol-blocking effects due to the presence of beneficial anti-oxidants --which are lost in the fermentation process of black tea.

Dr Carrie Ruxton, independent nutritionist and member of the industry-backed Tea Advisory Panel, said: 'The mechanism behind the beneficial effect of black tea in lowering LDL cholesterol has not so far been reported.

'However, the research suggests it is the theaflavins which are responsible for this blood cholesterol lowering effect.'

It looked at whether it was due to black tea reducing the uptake of cholesterol from the gastrointestinal tract into the blood.

Particles called micelles have to be formed in the tract for cholesterol to be absorbed and the researchers tested the idea that black tea might disrupt their formation.

They mixed together an extract of black tea containing theaflavins - the compounds resulting from the fermentation of black tea - together with micelles produced in the laboratory.

The results showed the mix disrupted the incorporation of cholesterol into micelles.

Similar experiments on green tea found similar effects, showing that 'highly fermented black tea is equally potent as green tea' in promoting heart health.

Dr Ruxton said 'This study took place in a laboratory, and studies in human subjects are needed to confirm the results.
'However, the researchers say that their findings could explain why black tea is associated with reduced blood levels of LDL cholesterol and with a lower risk of heart disease.'

Green tea is traditionally consumed in China and Japan. The fermentation process appears to reduce the content of flavonoids - beneficial antioxidants - which is why it is believed green tea offers different health benefits to black tea.

However, previous research has suggested three or four cups of black tea - with or without milk - each day offers a range of health benefits.