Oolong Tea Supports Fat Excretion

TOKUSHIMA, JapanConsuming polyphenol-enriched oolong tea may help increase lipid excretion while following a high fat diet, according to a study coordinated out of the University of Tokushima. In the crossover study, Japanese researchers randomized 12 healthy young adults to follow a high lipid diet (38 g/d of lipids from potato chips) with 750 ml of beverageseither a placebo or polyphenol-enriched oolong teaat three meals; treatment periods lasted 10 days with a seven-day washout. During the oolong tea intervention, lipid excretion into feces was significantly higher than during placebo; cholesterol excretion was also increased during the tea phase. The study was published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (60:1330-36, 2006; DOI:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602464).