To examine the possible benefits of tea flavonols, we compared anti-atherogenic effects between common and flavonol-rich tea cultivars. The tea infusion made from a flavonol-rich cultivar, but not a common cultivar, significantly decreased the plasma oxidized low-density lipoprotein level in mice fed a high-cholesterol diet. The result suggests that tea flavonols have the potential to protect against cardiovascular diseases.
Keywords: flavonol glycosides; green tea cultivars; hypercholesterolemic mice; plasma oxidized LDL.