Can Green Tea Protect Against Atherosclerosis?

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Article Title:

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Can Green Tea Protect Against Atherosclerosis?

Article Description:

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Heart disease and high cholesterol are some of the most prevalent

health concerns in our country today. One of the things that all

of us should be concerned with in our quest to live long and

healthy lives is our cholesterol levels. Out of control

cholesterol is a leading contributor to heart disease, blood

clots and stroke.

Additional Article Information:

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955 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line

Distribution Date and Time: 2006-12-11 14:00:00

Written By: Jon M. Stout

Copyright: 2006

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Can Green Tea Protect Against Atherosclerosis?

Copyright © 2006 Jon M. Stout

Golden Moon Tea

http://www.GoldenMoonTea.com

Heart disease and high cholesterol are some of the most prevalent

health concerns in our country today. One of the things that all

of us should be concerned with in our quest to live long and

healthy lives is our cholesterol levels. Out of control

cholesterol is a leading contributor to heart disease, blood

clots and stroke.

Cholesterol comes in two forms. HDL cholesterol or (high density

lipoproteins) is what we refer to as " good cholesterol " . HDL

cholesterol actually carries bad cholesterol away from the heart

and deposits it to the liver so that it can pass from the body.

High levels of this type of cholesterol protect you from heart

disease. If your levels of this type of cholesterol are too low,

the bad cholesterol is allowed to take over.

LDL cholesterol (low density lipoproteins) is the " bad

cholesterol " . When too much LDL circulates in the blood, it can

build up in the inner walls of the arteries that feed the heart

and brain. It forms plaque, a hard substance that clogs the

arteries. This is what we call atherosclerosis. These narrowed

arteries make it for a clot to cause a blockage. When an artery

is blocked, this can cause heart attack or stroke. Part of the

" hardening " process in LDL is what is known as peroxidation. It

is this process that turns the LDL into plaque.

It " s critical for all of us to know our cholesterol levels

and make sure that we have high levels of HDL and low levels of

LDL. You can significantly affect your cholesterol levels by with

lifestyle choices; though some people are just genetically

inclined to have high LDL levels. If you fall into this category,

you may need medication along with lifestyle changes to get your

cholesterol under control. See your doctor for a blood test to

determine your cholesterol levels.

How Can I Improve My Cholesterol Levels?

If you know that your cholesterol numbers could use some

improvement, there are many things you can do to improve those

numbers. Here are the basics

Exercise " " Just 30 minutes of walking, 3-5 times a week can help

bring your cholesterol numbers in line.

Lose weight if you " re overweight " " Overweight people tend to

have higher LDL levels. Taking the weight off can improve these

numbers.

Don " t smoke " " Smoking contributes to high LDL levels and to

low HDL levels.

Managing Your Diet

Diet is the most important factor in controlling your cholesterol

levels. Whether or not you need to lose weight, a healthy diet is

critical to maintaining good cholesterol levels. Here are the

diet basics you should follow.

Reduce the amount of red meat in your diet. Opt for chicken, fish

and turkey more often; beef and pork just once or twice a week.

Use egg substitutes or egg whites rather than egg yolks.

Choose low fat options " " Drink skim or 1% milk. Choose low fat

cheese, yogurt and sour cream.

Increase your whole grains " " Replace simple, white flower based

products with whole grains. Oatmeal and whole wheat are great

options.

Increase your fruits and vegetables " " Fruits and vegetables

provide vitamins and fiber. They fill you up on fewer calories,

so you can eat less and lose weight. They are also filled with

anti-oxidants, which can prevent disease by combating our

body " s free radicals. For the highest levels of

anti-oxidants, be sure to eat your share of blueberries, red

beans, artichokes and tomatoes.

Use good fats " " We all need fat in our diets, but the types of

fat we choose are important. Stay away from anything that says

" hydrogenated " . Don " t use lard, butter or hard shortenings.

Stay away from anything that contains " trans fats " . Use olive

oil, flaxseed oil and canola oil as your primary fats. These good

fats can help raise your HDL levels, without elevating your LDL

levels in the process.

Add Green Tea to your diet " " Green tea is one of the most

under-recognized health protectors. Green tea is rich in

anti-oxidants, just like fruits and vegetables. There have been

many studies that have concluded that green tea " s

anti-oxidants have a powerful influence in preventing heart

disease.

One study, in particular is worth noting. The University of

Shizuoka in Japan conducted a study on green tea and its ability

to prevent atherosclerosis. In this study, some mice were fed

green tea extract in their drinking water, while other mice were

fed water without green tea added. All of the mice were fed a

diet high in saturated fats and other products known to raise bad

cholesterol.

After about eight weeks, the mice who were fed green tea showed

significantly less propensity to have atherosclerosis.* While

the high level of LDL could still be spotted in the blood, it was

not being converted to plaque. The study concluded that green tea

has the ability, likely because of its high anti-oxidant level,

to prevent the peroxidation of the LDLs. So, even when the diet

was higher than normal in " bad cholesterol " foods, the green tea

seemed to prevent this cholesterol in the blood from turning into

artery blocking plaque.

Now, this doesn " t mean that it " s ok to eat a diet high in

fat and cholesterol and rely on green tea to take care of the

problem. However, it does indicate that green tea may be highly

effective at preventing the bad cholesterol that we do ingest

from turning into arterial plaque.

So, for the best plan for preventing heart disease and stroke,

it " s wise to follow a low cholesterol diet, maintain a

healthy weight and get regular exercise. But, it " s also wise

to add green tea to your diet. It may give you an extra edge to

winning the cholesterol battle!

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Jon M. Stout is the Chairman of the Golden Moon Tea Company.

Golden Moon Tea carefully selects the finest rare and orthodox

teas, which are processed slowly and handcrafted with extreme

care. At their website, you can learn more about their current

tea offerings, including their exceptional green tea

(http://www.goldenmoontea.com/greentea), white tea, black

tea, oolong tea (also known as wu-long and wu long tea -

http://www.goldenmoontea.com/wu-long) and chai. Visit

http://www.goldenmoontea.com for all details concerning

the Golden Moon Tea Company's fine line of teas.