Does tea help fight cholesterol?

Tea is often touted for its many healing properties. But when it comes to cholesterol, does this drink have any benefits? Does it help fight bad cholesterol? And what about coffee? Doctor Diana Kadouch, nutritionist, answers us.

No scientific proof

“Today, there are no scientific studies that show a reduction in bad cholesterol” when drinking tea, says Dr. Kadouch. Drinking tea does not reduce the amount of LDL, a lipoprotein responsible for transporting cholesterol in the blood.

“Antioxidants [contenus dans le thé] still have this ability to avoid the deposition of atheromas” However, adds Vincent Billot, roaster elected best worker in France in 2018. Atherosclerotic plaques are fatty deposits caused by excess cholesterol, and which develop on the internal wall of the arteries. SO “it’s still interesting to have these elements there to dilute” he adds.

Also read: What are the differences between green, black, white and red tea?

The harmful effects of coffee

While tea does not seem to have any effect on cholesterol, this is not the case with coffee. Indeed, in so-called cafes “unfiltered” there is a molecule: diterpene. But this molecule “may raise cholesterol” alerts Dr. Kadouch. “We must therefore be careful to know which coffee we are talking about”.

Indeed, this molecule belongs to the family of hydrocarbons, chemical substances produced by plants and responsible for a large number of physiological processes… including the formation of cholesterol.