The effect of black tea on blood lipids and fecal fat

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death and disability in the United States. Hyperlipidemia increases risk for CVD. Animal and human studies have shown that chronic tea consumption reduces blood lipid levels and there-by reduces the risk for CVD.;In animals, tea consumption decreases blood lipids and increases fecal fat excretion, however, the association between tea consumption and fecal fat excretion in humans is unclear. This study compared the effect of black tea and two placebo beverages on fecal fat levels and blood lipid levels in humans.;Study design. Study participants were 10 male smokers, ages 24 to 67, who volunteered for a feeding study entitled Effect of Black Tea Consumption on Plasma Lipids and Lipoproteins, Brachial Artery Flow-Mediated Vasodilatation and Markers of Oxidative Stress in Smokers. Participants were randomly assigned to receive each treatment beverage in a crossover design, without repetition. The three treatment beverages were placebo with none of the phytonutrients in black tea (P), placebo with caffeine in the amount present in black tea (P+C), and black tea (T). Treatment periods were seven weeks long during which participants ate a controlled isocaloric diet and consumed seven servings of study beverage per day.;In the seventh week of each study period blood was collected from participants. Participants also collected complete stool samples that were analyzed for fecal fat content, using CEM Fat Extraction System and methylene chloride solvent, to provide data for this research.;Descriptive statistics, paired T-tests and Wilcoxon's signed rank test were conducted using SPSS.;Findings. Seven servings of black tea per day reduced total cholesterol by 6% (p = 0.03) and LDL-cholesterol by 9% (p = 0.02) compared with P. There was no significant change in HDL-cholesterol. Mean fecal fat per week with black tea (23.4 gms.) showed a significant decrease (p= 0.04) when the mean fecal fat per week was compared with P (38.9 gms).;Conclusion. Sustained consumption of black tea significantly reduced total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol without reducing HDL-cholesterol. In this study chronic black tea consumption also significantly reduced fecal fat levels in humans.