Objective: The effects of consuming green tea catechins on the development of hyperlipidaemia-induced systemic organ damage have not been well studied; we investigated the effect using low density lipoprotein receptor knockout mice.
Methods and results: Mice were treated with high cholesterol food containing 0.2 or 4% catechins and they were supplemented for 35 weeks. High plasma cholesterol levels, liver and renal dysfunctions were observed in no catechin fed mice, while chow containing catechin suppressed these levels and damages. Severe atherosclerosis of the aorta, fatty liver and renal injury were also shown in the control mice; inflammatory factors were enhanced in these lesions of nontreated mice. The lesions were attenuated with suppression of the inflammatory factors in the chow-contained catechin treatment group.
Conclusion: Dietary consumption of tea catechins attenuated the development of the systemic organ damage; thus, this has a clinical effect against systemic inflammatory diseases.