A combination of Green Tea and Melatonin Consumption Improve Plasma Lipid Profiles in Adults

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the major cause of morbidity and mortality in the world. The green tea prepared with leaves of Camellia sinensis is particularly rich in antioxidants, which seems to have a crucial role in atherogenesis. Melatonin also participates in many physiological functions and exhibit antioxidant activity.
The aim of our investigation was to evaluate the effects of green tea drinking and melatonin on the lipid profile in 36 subjects. The lipid profile included the measurement of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TGs), apolipoprotein A-I, apolipoprotein B, and lipoprotein (a). The measurements were performed at the beginning of the study, and after 3 weeks of drinking 1 L of water, and after 4 weeks of drinking 1 L of green tea daily plus 3mg/day melatonin at night. Tea was prepared every day at the same conditions of temperature, time of infusion, and concentration. After drinking green tea plus melatonin a significant beneficial improvement in the lipid profile of subjects was observed. Our data suggest that drinking green tea plus melatonin have beneficial effects protecting against the risk for cardiovascular disease by improving blood lipid levels.