CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY OF EFFECTS OF DRINKING GREEN TEA ON CARDIOVASCULAR AND LIVER-DISEASES

Objective-To investigate the association between consumption of green tea and various serum markers in a Japanese population, with special r eference to preventive effects of green tea against cardiovascular dis ease and disorders of the liver. Design-Cross sectional study. Setting -Yoshimi, Japan. Subjects-1371 men aged over 40 years resident in Yosh imi and surveyed on their living habits including daily consumption of green tea. Their peripheral blood samples were subjected to several b iochemical assays. Results-Increased consumption of green tea was asso ciated with decreased serum concentrations of total cholesterol (P for trend <0.001) and triglyceride (P for trend=0 . 02) and an increased proportion of high density lipoprotein cholesterol together with a dec reased proportion of low and very low lipoprotein cholesterols (P for trend=0 . 02), which resulted in a decreased atherogenic index (P for trend=0.02). Moreover, increased consumption of green tea, especially more than 10 cups a day, was related to decreased concentrations of he patological markers in serum, aspartate aminotransferase (P for trend= 0 . 06), alanine transferase (P for trend=0 . 07), and ferritin (P for trend=0 . 02). Conclusion-The inverse association between consumption of green tea and various serum markers shows that green tea may act p rotectively against cardiovascular disease and disorders of the liver.