Extract of black tea (pu‐ehr) inhibits postprandial rise in serum cholesterol in mice, and with long term use reduces serum cholesterol and low density lipoprotein levels and renal fat weight in rats

A water-soluble extract of a traditional Chinese fermented black tea, pu-ehr, decomposes bile acid cholesterol micelles. This black tea extract (BTE) was studied to see if it could decrease the postprandial elevation of blood cholesterol levels after a single administration in ddY mice. It was found that BTE (0.3 g/kg) significantly decreased the postprandial rise in blood cholesterol levels after oral administration of cholesterol (130 mg/kg). A non-fermented tea (i.e. green tea) extract did not prevent the postprandial increase in blood cholesterol. In a subsequent study, 5-week-old Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were fed BTE for 3 weeks, following which a dose-dependent and significant decrease in serum total cholesterol levels (1.36 mmol/L, 0.1% BTE, p < 0.05) was found and also in renal fat weight (0.3% BTE, p < 0.05). LDL cholesterol levels (0.51 mmol/L, 0.1% BTE, p < 0.05) were also significantly decreased. There were no significant changes in the weights of other organs or in the serum levels of other clinical markers. Thus, BTE has a specific antihypercholesterol effect in rodents, which might potentially aid in the management of hyperlipidaemia in man.