"Tea can lower 'bad' cholesterol levels, boost cardiovascular health, reduce DNA damage in smokers and contribute to a decrease in risk of rectal cancer in women."

Researchers at the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland, asked test subjects to eat low-fat, low-calorie prepared meals and drink five cups of caffeinated tea or caffeinated and non-caffeinated placebos that mimicked the look of tea. Levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol dropped 10 percent among the test subjects who drank tea.

Vegetarian Times, Jan 2003