EFFECTS OF TEA ON PLASMA LIPIDS

Abstract

Objective: To find out the possible association between levels of cholesterol and tea consumption
in the general population known to consume large amount of tea in a day. Place and Duration: The study was
conducted in the periphery areas of Multan district from 1990 to 1993. Materials and Methods: The data was obtained
on 550 (300 (20-40 years) male subjects and 250 older age group (41-65 years) male subjects. Information collected
on each subject included detailed demographic data, personal habits including smoking, frequency of participation in
leisure time, physical activity, a detailed history of daily tea intake and weekly egg consumption. They were also
questioned about medication and special dietary intake (such a low salt, low cholesterol, low saturated fat or weight
reducing diets).Height and weight were measured. Relative weight was defined by Quetelet index (weight in g) / (height
in cm2). Blood samples, obtained by venepuncture, were drawn in vacuum tubes without additive, with the subject
supine and after fasting for between 9 and 10h. Serum was separated from the whole blood within 2h of being drawn.
Sera separated from the whole blood were frozen at -70oC until analyzed. Total cholesterol (TC) was estimated by
enzymes assay (Boehringer Knoll kit, Mannheim, FRG). HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) was measured after precipitation with
heparin and manganese chloride.. Triglycerides were estimated by enzyme assay (Boehringer Knoll kit, Mannheim,
FRG). Serum low density lipoproteins cholesterol (LDL-C) was estimated. Quality control methods were employed
throughout all the analyses. The data presented here are for the those subjects who were not an any special diet,
medication or suffering from any endocrine disease. The association between tea intake and other dietary variables
were tested using the Chi square test. An analysis of covariance was used to examine the association between tea
intake and lipid levels. Separate analyses of covariance were carried out in each of two age groups 20-40 years and
41-65 years. Results: A negative association between drinking of tea and TC levels were found in both age groups
studied. The difference was found to be entirely due to a difference in LDL-cholesterol levels. The negative association
between tea consumption and TC levels was significant in heavy drinkers of tea with or without smoking. Conclusion:
General population is known to consume large amounts of tea. It was concluded that tea consumption may be an
independent factor influencing serum lipid levels because there was a negative association between tea consumption
and serum total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol concentrations. There are reports that consumption of tea is associated
with a reduction in serum total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol. As tea has no nutritive value ,so its excessive use is
useless. .It has also been reported that caffeine is involved in the maldevelopment of foetus .,birth defects ,bone
malformation and even in cancer formation. There is a great need on the Govt. level to create awareness in public
sector about consumption of large amount of tea. Work may be extended to explore that how caffeine may be involved
as a risk factor in the pathogenesis of CHD, birth defects , cancer patients and in metabolism of calcium..