Protective Properties of Green Tea Uncovered
Regularly drinking green tea could protect the brain against developing Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, according to latest research by scientists at Newcastle University.
The study, published in the academic journal Phytomedicine, also suggests this ancient Chinese remedy could play a vital role in protecting the body against cancer.
Led by Dr Ed Okello, the Newcastle team wanted to know if the protective properties of green tea — which have previously been shown to be present in the undigested, freshly brewed form of the drink — were still active once the tea had been digested.
Digestion is a vital process which provides our bodies with the nutrients we need to survive. But, says Dr Okello, it also means that just because the food we put into our mouths is generally accepted to contain health-boosting properties, we can’t assume these compounds will ever be absorbed by the body.
“What was really exciting about this study was that we found when green tea is digested by enzymes in the gut, the resulting chemicals are actually more effective against key triggers of Alzheimer’s development than the undigested form of the tea,” explains Dr Okello, based in the School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development at Newcastle University.
“In addition to this, we also found the digested compounds had anti-cancer properties, significantly slowing down the growth of the tumour cells which we were using in our experiments.”
As part of the research, the Newcastle team worked in collaboration with Dr Gordon McDougall of the Plant Products and Food Quality Group at the Scottish Crop Research Institute in Dundee, who developed technology which simulates the human digestive system.
It is this which made it possible for the team to analyse the protective properties of the products of digestion.
Two compounds are known to play a significant role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease — hydrogen peroxide and a protein known as beta-amyloid.
Previous studies have shown that compounds known as polyphenols, present in black and green tea, possess neuroprotective properties, binding with the toxic compounds and protecting the brain cells.
When ingested, the polyphenols are broken down to produce a mix of compounds and it was these the Newcastle team tested in their latest research.
“It’s one of the reasons why we have to be so careful when we make claims about the health benefits of various foods and supplements,” explains Dr Okello.
“There are certain chemicals we know to be beneficial and we can identify foods which are rich in them but what happens during the digestion process is crucial to whether these foods are actually doing us any good.”
Carrying out the experiments in the lab using a tumour cell model, they exposed the cells to varying concentrations of the different toxins and the digested green tea compounds.
Dr Okello explained: “The digested chemicals protected the cells, preventing the toxins from destroying the cells.
“We also saw them affecting the cancer cells, significantly slowing down their growth.
“Green tea has been used in Traditional Chinese medicine for centuries and what we have here provides the scientific evidence why it may be effective against some of the key diseases we face today.”
The next step is to discover whether the beneficial compounds are produced during digestion after healthy human volunteers consume tea polyphenols. The team has already received funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to take this forward.
Dr Okello adds: “There are obviously many factors which together have an influence on diseases such as cancer and dementia — a good diet, plenty of exercise and a healthy lifestyle are all important.”
Short URL: http://chandadavis.net/?p=2537
Scientists from the Newcastle discovered that Green Tea is able to protect humans against Alzheimer’s and also can slow down cancer cell reproduction. Green Tea was used in Ancient Chinese remedies and that’s where it all started but now it has been tested that it really works.When digested the chemicals in the green tea were found to be even more effective and it also was able to slow down that tumor cells growth significantly the scientists say that the tea protects the cells and prevents the toxins to destroy the cell. Their next step is to see how the green tea helps a normal person and if it helps at all their further investigation has been approved by BBSRC.
http://www.sciencenews.org
“Meteorites Contain Chemicals Linked to Life” by Alexandra Witze
Scientists have recently found meteorites that contain life related chemicals. A few of the chemicals found in the rocks are very rare on Earth. Michael Callahan and his colleagues are the ones who dicovered this and published their finding last week. There have been findings in meteorites before, such as amino acids. The chemicals recently found contain compounds used to store RNA and DNA. i believe that this is an amazing discovery because it means that there may be life in space.
Drinking green tea regularly could protect your brain against Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. This ancient Chinese remedy could also play a role in protecting yourself against cancer.
Chris Roberts
Protective Properties of Green Tea Uncovered
Dr. Okello, scientists at Newcastle University
1. Green tea was shown to have anti- cancer and anti- Alzheimer abilities when digested.
2. Green tea polyphenols would bonded with toxic compounds upon digestion, which helped slow the spread of Alzheimer.
3. Green tea supplementation along with a healthy lifestyle may help prevent diseases caused by free radicals like hydrogen peroxide and beta- amyloid.
4. Further research is needed to check whether the tea polyphenols are still as potent after digestion in human testing.
5. Green tea polyphenols could help explain why tea was used in Ancient Chinese remedies and medication. While the Chinese may not have known exactly why tea was healthy, they still used it frequently to treat problems.
1. Drinking green tea could prevent Alzheimer’s, dementia, and cancer.
2. When green tea is digested by enzymes in the gut, it is more effective against these things than if it goes undigested.
3. The digested chemicals in green tea protect the cells, preventing the toxins from destroying the cells.
4. The chemicals also slow down the growth of cancer cells.
5. Green tea has been used in Traditional Chinese medicine for centuries and it may be effective against some diseases today.
Cole Stewart
1. Regular consumption of green tea is shown to have anti-Alzheimer’s and anti-dementia qualities.
2. Green tea nutrients are digested directly into the gut. Anti-tumor nutrients are in green tea in addition to cancer preventing nutrients.
3. Hydrogen Peroxide and a protein known as beta-amyloid cause Alzheimer’s Disease. The nutrients in green and black tea bind with the bad nutrients to neutralize them so the brain cells are protected.
4. Green tea has been used as a remedy in Chinese medicine for hundreds of years. To better understand the nutrients in the tea, scientists will study how the tea is digested over time.
5. In addition to the medicines above; a healthy diet, plenty of exercise, and an overall choice of healthy decisions help prevent against diseases such as cancer and dementia.