A study conducted by scientists from the University of Michigan (University of Michigan Health System) showed that the substances found in Green Tea, can render antipyretic action on the connective tissue to patients with rheumatoid arthritis. A study was conducted in the isolated cells - the synovial fibroblasts, taken from the articular bursa of patients with rheumatoid arthritis upon the removal of liquid from the cavity of joints. The fibroblasts, which cover tissue around the joint were reared in a nutrient medium, which contains Green Tea. Under study, the Green Tea medium prevented the formation of the molecules responsible for the appearance of inflammation and erosion of the bone in the joints. Scientists plan to test the medicine obtained from the Green Tea on animals.
The anti-cancerous properties of Green Tea:
An international group of scientists from John Innes Centre (Great Britain) and University of Murcia (Spain) explained how Green Tea protects organisms from certain malignant diseases. In earlier studies, it was found that one of the active ingredients in Green Tea is the natural polyphenol-Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG). The results of the last study, published in the periodical "Cancer Research", attest to the fact that on the basis of EGCG, it is possible to create a new class of anti-cancerous preparations. Scientists revealed that EGCG suppresses fermentative activities of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), by participating in the synthesis of DNA and being a primary target number of anti-cancerous preparations. As Professor Roger Thorneley, the leader of research group, noted, "We obtained clear scientific substantiation of why EGCG inhibits an increase in the cancerous cells in a concentration similar to that which can be revealed in the blood of person who drinks two to three cups of Green Tea per the day." Green Tea can be useful to patients with chronic lymphoid leukemia - the most frequent variety of blood cancer - report scientists from the Mayo clinic in Rochester.
Recent experiments showed that the antioxidants which are found in the Green Tea were disastrous for the cancerous cells. Based on this data, scientists from the Mayo clinic conducted a small study. The study was conducted in which four patients with lymphoid leukemia daily drank up to 8 cups of Green Tea or took tablets which contained a Green Tea extract. Several months into the treatment the doctors noted the essential regress of cancerous process in three patients. In particular, in one of the patients the size of the lymph that was struck by tumor decreased; in another, considerable improvement was seen in the indices of blood analyses. The results of the study were presented in periodical called Leukemia Research. The data obtained suggest that people with lymphoid leukemia may have hope; although, to validate the results of Green Tea supplementation, large scale studies are still necessary. In particular, it is necessary to determine the optimum dosage of tea and also possible side effects.
Chronic lymphoid leukemia is manifested by the growth of lymphoid tissue in bone marrow, lymph nodes, spleen and liver. The disease most frequently appears in the elderly and progresses slowly. Patients who suffer this form of blood cancer can live several decades. Unfortunately, this disease is encountered very frequently; for example, in Great Britain more than 3000 new cases of lymphoid leukemia are diagnosed yearly.
Green Tea protects and restores the heart after the damages substituted by infarction. During a heart attack, a certain amount of oxygen and nourishment to the brain and heart is decreased, which then leads to cell death and irreversible damage. A group of scientists under the management of Doctor Anastasis Stephanu, conducted laboratory tests for heart cells. These tests revealed that the base material called epigallokatexin-gallate, which is also contained in Green Tea, has the ability to decrease the loss of cells and accelerate the process of rebirth of the heart cells after infarction. Dr. Stephanu had the following to say about the experiment: "these results are extremely pleasant for us, and we hope to introduce them into the clinical conditions in order to lead to the minimum cell loss in patients with the disease of coronary artery."
The substance contained in the Green Tea, and has been used for over 4000 years, reduces the level of cell loss. The cell loss is common after these types of injuries. The loss of cells leads to tissue atrophy, which in turn leads to the "turning off" of organs. Specialists from the British institute of children's health conducted the study, which is published in the periodical of the federation of experimental biology. Green Tea in the past was frequently a basic beverage for patients who suffered from infectious diseases. Scientists recently began research on this claim, confirming the benefits of Green Tea.
Studies also showed that substances discovered in Green Tea can b used to treat the AIDS virus. The component responsible for this affect is, again, Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG), the anti-oxidant polyphenol flavonoid found in Green Tea. It prevents the connection of the virus to the immune cells. This substance connects to the surface receptors of immune cells and effectively crowds the cell receptors inhibiting the AIDS virus by preventing the virus to connect to the cell. In spite of the encouraging results, experts from the USA and Great Britain are still unable to draw affirmative conclusions.
A professor from Sheffield University reported that treatment with Green Tea may assist in the treatment of HIV: "these are not the medicine and not the method of protection, but the use of Green Tea can strengthen traditional therapy, if it is used together with the right medicines."
The only means of preventing the contraction of the HIV is the use of condoms. The composition found in Green Tea, substantially decreases the toxicity of the proteins which are manufactured by the HIV virus. The antioxidant epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) can help alleviate this destructive illness, assert scientists from the University of South Florida. The dementia connected with a VIC-infection, exhaustion of the cognitive, emotional and physical function of the organism, usually is observed in the last stages of the disease and affects 22% of adult patients.
Physicians used an important antioxidant obtained from Green Tea, EGCG, in an experiment with laboratory mice against the onslaught of neurotoxicity—a toxin the overwhelms the nervous system. The composition of Green Tea prevents poisonous cytokines - a group of proteins in the brain cells - to interact with HIV-proteins, thereby slowing down the progression of the disease.
The consumption of Green Tea led to a reduction of cholesterol in the blood. In a new study, 16 volunteers, 8 men and 8 women, were given a placebo tea (a liquid composition imbued with the taste of Green Tea) for three weeks. For the next three weeks the test group drank 5 cups of actual Green Tea a day. It was shown that the consumption of tea led to a reduction of the content of "bad" cholesterol by 10%, while the content of "good" cholesterol remained constant.
In another experiment, 140 participants were studied; all of them smokers. The purpose of this study was to understand whether Green Tea can contribute to the restoration of cells damaged from chronic smoking. The results can be evaluated by measuring the concentration of 8-OhDG in the urine, which indicates the presence of damaged cells. In the course of four months, the volunteers drank either Green Tea or Black Tea or water. It was shown that the Green Tea reduced the concentration of 8-OhDG by 25%. However, the concentration of this substance remained at the original level for the subjects drinking Black Tea or water.
Although the beneficial properties of Green Tea have been used with medicinal applications for many centuries, there is a consensus amongst modern day scientists that the routine consumption of Green Tea positively affects mental abilities even into old age. A group of Japanese researchers from the Tohoku University drew the conclusion that those who drink Green Tea are less prone to suffer senile dementia than those who do not drink the tea. Such optimistic conclusions were drawn from a study in which more than a thousand elderly people of age 70 years and older participated. The specialists noted that both men and women who drank Green Tea on a daily basis showed signs of a clearer mind and used more logical reasoning skills. Previously, similar tests were conducted on animals where scientists also noted that Green Tea contains therapeutic components which favorably affects brain cell activity, helping prevent such illnesses as Parkinson’s Disease or Alzheimer. It is also interesting to note that in Japan similar diseases are less common than in Europe and North America, where Green Tea consumption is high.
