Green tea has many useful effects on the health of people as we all know. A recent study in the United States of America has suggested that drinking green tea can actually help prevent heart disease in people.

During the study, a group of people was made to undergo the so-called tea therapy, and consistent results pointed out towards the good effects of green tea. Scientists say green tea, which is made exclusively from the leaves of Camellia sinensi, may help in slightly lowering the levels of LDL or BAD cholesterol as a common person refers to it. The study showed how consuming green tea regularly could trim down 6-8 points from harmful LDL.

The trials were conducted to compare the effects of drinking the tea in a cup with those of green tea containing substitutes in the form of tablets or capsules. It was proven indeed that having a cup of tea was much more effective than gulping the substitutes down. However, doctors say those people who are on some kind of medication for their cholesterol, should stick with them and green tea may be used in their cases merely as a supplement. Adding green tea to the menu could be one sure way of improving your cholesterol numbers.

Moving to the disappointing part of the study, scientists did not find any evidence to prove that green tea helped in boosting the HDL cholesterol or the GOOD cholesterol, as we know it. The study involved 1520 adults. They were randomly divided into two groups with one group consuming green tea in the form of a beverage or capsules, containing green tea on a regular basis as part of their daily diet while the other group was offered placebo capsules or plain water. The study was spread over a period of 4-6 weeks during which various parameters were recorded including the levels of cholesterol.

While there is evidence that green tea helped decrease the LDL in people who already had high cholesterol levels, it did not have any effect on otherwise healthy individuals. Overall, tea in the form of a beverage proved to be more effective than tablets or capsules. Although there has been much hype about the useful properties of green tea, there have been mixed conclusions also because related studies have been small scale and hence not so reliable. Another area where the scientists have lacked is the knowledge of exact amount of green tea than can actually help people. As far as side effects are concerned, green tea is considered relatively safe with scientists advising people to exercise caution while consuming green tea extracts, especially on an empty stomach.