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.