The present study showed that EGCG significantly reduced
plasma total cholesterol that was elevated by a high-fat diet
containing cholesterol (Table 2). These results are consistent with
previous studies that showed that orally administered EGCG
decreased plasma cholesterol and inhibited cholesterol absorption
from the intestine of rodents (38). The volume of plasma
collected at harvest was a limiting factor in these studies; future
studies can determine whether EGCG improves other plasma lipids related to metabolic syndrome, such as plasma triglycerides
and HDL-cholesterol.