Scientific research shows that drinking Pu'er ripe tea can regulate blood lipid health!

When talking about Pu'er tea, especially ripe  tea, people often mention a word - "scraping fat"!

Is scraping fat a physical sensation of relieving greasiness, or does it really have the effect of reducing fat?

In the era of scientific tea drinking, we use data to speak.

1
Hyperlipidemia

Blood lipids are a general term for cholesterol, triglycerides and lipids (such as phospholipids) in plasma.

4 blood lipids:

Total cholesterol (TC): the sum of cholesterol contained in various lipoproteins in the blood.

Triglycerides (TG): Mild to moderate increase in triglycerides increases the risk of coronary heart disease; when severely increased, it can induce acute pancreatitis.

High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C): "The cleaner who protects blood vessels" can transport cholesterol from surrounding tissues (including arterial walls) to the liver for metabolic decomposition, reduce the deposition of cholesterol in the blood vessel wall, and play an anti-atherosclerotic role.

Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C): "The black boss who destroys blood vessels" is the main risk factor for the occurrence and development of atherosclerosis.

Hyperlipidemia (dyslipidemia):

2
Causes and hazards of hyperlipidemia

With the development of social economy, the improvement of people's living standards, and changes in dietary patterns (such as excessive intake of saturated fatty acids or trans fatty acids), the prevalence of hyperlipidemia in my country has increased significantly in the past 30 years.

The "Report on the Nutrition and Chronic Disease Status of Chinese Residents (2020)" shows that the overall prevalence of hyperlipidemia among residents aged 18 and above in my country is as high as 35.6%.
The "Guidelines for Blood Lipid Management in China (2023)" shows that more than one-third of adults have dyslipidemia.

Hyperlipidemia is an important risk factor for hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, and stroke. Long-term hyperlipidemia can lead to atherosclerosis and increase the incidence and mortality of cardiovascular diseases.

3
Scientific research on the lipid-lowering effect of Pu'er ripe tea

Since the successful trial production of Pu'er ripe tea in 1973, the fermentation of Pu'er ripe tea has a history of more than 50 years, and the research on the lipid-lowering function of Pu'er ripe tea has been nearly 30 years.
Both animal experiments and clinical experiments have confirmed that Pu'er tea can regulate blood lipid health by lowering total cholesterol, triglycerides, bad cholesterol (i.e. low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) and increasing good cholesterol (i.e. high-density lipoprotein cholesterol). The functional ingredient theabrownin is the main material basis for revealing the regulation of blood lipid health by Pu'er tea.

① The first medical clinical experiment of Pu'er tea (Aimier experiment in 1979):

The earliest scientific evidence of the health function of Pu'er tea can be traced back to the Aimier experiment in 1979, which was the first international clinical experiment of Chinese Pu'er tea. The experiment found that drinking Yunnan Pu'er ripe tea can reduce people's weight, reduce the content of lipid compounds, triglycerides and cholesterol in the human body, and also play a certain role in reducing the proportion of uric acid in the human body.

② Animal experimental research example:

In 2016, Wang Yuefei and others from Zhejiang University conducted a study on the safety and antihyperlipidemia effect of aqueous extracts from fermented puerh tea. They used 2010 Dayi Puerh Ripe Tea 7572 as the research object to study the safety and hypolipidemic effect of Puerh Ripe Tea. The results showed that the maximum tolerated dose of EFPT for rats and mice was greater than 10.0 g/kg body weight. The mouse mutation test was negative and non-mutagenic. During the entire feeding experiment, no abnormal symptoms, clinical signs or deaths were found in rats in each group. The hypolipidemic effect study found that Puerh Ripe Tea had no significant effect on rat body weight and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels (p > 0.05), while serum total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) levels were significantly (p < 0.05) reduced, that is, Puerh Ripe Tea plays a certain regulatory role in hyperlipidemia.

In 2019, Qiu Xiangjun and others from the School of Medicine of Henan University of Science and Technology conducted an animal experiment in a study titled "Research on the Hypoglycemic and Hypolipidemic Effects of Dayi Junfang Tea Concentrate". They studied the regulatory effects of oral administration of Junfang Pu'er tea concentrate on blood lipids in high-sugar and high-fat model mice. The results showed that the model mice that drank Junfang tea had significantly reduced serum total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) levels (P < 0.01), and increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels. In other words, Junfang tea can effectively regulate blood lipids, and the effect is comparable to that of the positive group (lovastatin group).

In 2023, Gong Jiashun's team from Yunnan Agricultural University used Dayi Junfang Pu'er Ripe Tea Water Extract and theabrownin in a study titled "Composition and Lipid-Lowering Effect of Junfang Pu'er Ripe Tea Water Extract and Theabrownin" to study the lipid-lowering effect on hyperlipidemia model rats. The results showed that Junfang Pu'er Ripe Tea Water Extract and the functional ingredient theabrownin could significantly reduce the Lee's index (P<0.05), significantly reduce serum triglycerides (TG), serum fasting blood glucose (FBG), liver triglycerides and cholesterol (TC) levels (P<0.05), and reduce fat accumulation; serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities were extremely significantly increased (P<0.01); rat nuclear factor E2-related factors The levels of Nrf2, interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were significantly reduced (P<0.05), showing increased antioxidant activity and reduced inflammatory factor concentrations. Liver sections showed reduced fatty degeneration, and significantly reduced adipocyte numbers and lipid droplet aggregation. Jijunfang Pu'er Ripe Tea Water Extract and its functional ingredient theabrownin both showed good effects in weight loss and lipid reduction.

③ Examples of human clinical experimental studies:

In 2019, Jia Wei's team from Shanghai Jiao Tong University conducted a study titled "Theabrownin from Pu-erh tea attenuates hypercholesterolemia via modulation of gut microbiota and bile acid metabolism". They found that when adult males drank 3 grams of Pu-erh tea instant powder every day for 4 weeks, their cholesterol and triglyceride levels were significantly reduced, and the structure and diversity of bacterial communities containing bile salt hydrolase (BSH) in the intestine and feces were reduced. They also found that theabrownin is a functional substance component that reduces the activity of bile salt hydrolase bacteria and bile salt hydrolase, and inhibits the intestinal FXR-FGF15 signaling pathway by increasing the level of ileal conjugated bile acid (BA), resulting in increased liver production and fecal excretion of BA, lowering liver cholesterol, and reducing fat production, thereby playing a lipid-lowering role.

4
Pu'er Ripe Tea Lipid-lowering Functional Components

Theabrownin is an important functional component of Pu'er Ripe Tea, and has made important contributions to the formation of Pu'er Ripe Tea soup color and its efficacy (anti-oxidation, weight management, anti-tumor, etc.).

However, there is still a lot of controversy about the definition of theabrownin. As a macromolecular polymer substance formed by the oxidation polymerization of polyphenolic compounds mainly composed of catechins, the composition of theabrownin is extremely complex.

Physical and chemical testing shows that the basic material components of crude theabrownin are 55.38% theabrownin; 14.98% total polyphenols, 14.22% total flavonoids, 2.53% amino acids, 28.00% total sugars, 23.44% polysaccharides, 24.42% protein, and 4.93% total catechins. Together, they form the material basis for the lipid-lowering effect of theabrownin.

5
Pu'er Ripe Tea, Drinking Regularly is Beneficial

Dietary conditioning, moderate exercise, and frequent physical examinations are all important measures to prevent and regulate hyperlipidemia.

Through the above understanding, we also know that drinking Pu'er Ripe Tea has a positive effect on regulating blood lipids. In daily life, we can increase the consumption of Pu'er Ripe Tea and develop a healthy lifestyle.

Of course, there are also some particularities in the selection of ripe tea:

① Choose products produced by large factories: excellent fermentation technology and guaranteed quality. Since the successful experiment of Pu'er Ripe Tea in Menghai Tea Factory in 1973, it has been fermented continuously for more than 50 years, forming a stable microbial fermentation community. In addition, the diligent efforts of generations of Dayi people and the pursuit of excellence in technology have made TAETEA tea well-known in the market. Tea is beneficial, and tea is TAETEA!

② Choose well-stored tea: If the tea cake has obvious mildew, or smells and tastes musty, sour, and other miscellaneous flavors, it can no longer be drunk.

Choose the right ripe Pu'er, drink it often, and live a healthy life!

References:
[1] Dietary Guidelines for Adults with Hyperlipidemia (2023 Edition).
[2] Xu P, Ying L, Wu J, et al. Safety evaluation and antihyperlipidemia effect of aqueous extracts from fermented puerh tea[J]. Food & Function, 2016, 7.
[3] Wang Hongwei, Wu Mengyuan, Li Shuanglong, et al. Study on the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of Dayi Junfang tea concentrate[J]. Journal of Henan University of Science and Technology: Medical Edition, 2019, 37(3):4.
[4] Shan Bo. Composition and lipid-lowering effects of aqueous extracts and theabrownins of Junfang Puer Ripe Tea[J]. Food Science, 2023, 44(8):11.