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White Tea & EGCG

White Tea & EGCG

Tea Time – Recent research shows how White Tea is the best herb to protect our skin, and also helps breakdown fats.  Other research shows how the antioxidants (mostly “EGCG”) in tea help increase our breathing capacity in exercise, prevent and even treat many forms of cancer, and has cardiovascular benefits.  Read on for the details… 

Anti-collagenase, anti-elastase and anti-oxidant activities of extracts from 21 plants. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2009 Aug 4;9:27. 

This Chinese research study tested 21 health-promoting plants (including pomegranate, rose, burdock, white & green tea, etc) to determine their ability to have anti-oxidant and anti-aging effects.  This was verified by testing for their ability to slow the process of breaking down collagen tissue.  The top performer by far was from the tea plant, but especially what is known as “white tea.”  White tea is from the same tea plant that we get the regular black and green tea from, however, white tea is not processed or fermented unlike green and black teas.  This lack of processing allows to better preserve the antioxidants found in the tea plant, such that there is up to three times more antioxidants in white tea compared to green tea.

 

White Tea extract induces lipolytic activity and inhibits adipogenesis in human subcutaneous (pre)-adipocytes.Nutr Metab (Lond). 2009 May 1;6:20.  

This 2009 German study found that white tea extract slows down the incorporation of fat into human fat cells, and also helps to significantly breakdown fat overall.  Considering that there are more and more obesity-related diseases, affecting even our young, this research can be useful at helping support these vulnerable people.

 

White tea is much lower in caffeine content, and has less of a diuretic effect than black or green tea.  White tea has a more subtle, almost sweet taste, and does not stain teeth like black tea can.  So, there are many good reasons to add white tea into your tea rotation, drink up!  Read on for more info on the fascinating benefits of EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), the primary antioxidant in tea.

 

The consumption of tea has been a tradition in East Asian cultures for millennia.  There are many forms of tea, now grown in many tropical areas of the world, but they all start from the tea plant named Camillia.  Over the past decades, a lot of research has documented the benefits of EGCG.  For instance, EGCG helps:

-decrease LDL cholesterol, increases HDL cholesterol

-protect against atherosclerosis of arteries

-decrease platelet stickiness

-enhance the detoxification of carcinogens

-decrease the risk of several cancers including breast, prostate, colon, and lung

-kill some types of cancer cells including prostate cancer, liver cancer, bone marrow cancer, and melanoma

-decrease the spread, or metastasis, of some cancers including melanoma

-increase oxygen uptake capacity during exercise

-protect against electromagnetic induced pro-oxidation effects

-against certain parasites

-protect against the bacteria that lead to dental cavities

 

More research citations…

[Epigallocatechin gallate induces apoptosis in human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells via TGF/Smad signaling pathway.]

Tong JL, Nie F, Ran ZH, Pan CQ, Xu XT, Zhu MM, Xiao SD.

Zhonghua Zhong Liu Za Zhi. 2009 Sep;31(9):646-50. Chinese.

 

Potentiation of (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate-induced apoptosis by bortezomib in multiple myeloma cells.

Wang Q, Li J, Gu J, Huang B, Zhao Y, Zheng D, Ding Y, Zeng L.

Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai). 2009 Dec 15;41(12):1018-26.

 

(-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate induces Du145 prostate cancer cell death via downregulation of inhibitor of DNA binding 2, a dominant negative helix-loop-helix protein.

Luo KL, Luo JH, Yu YP.

Cancer Sci. . [Epub ahead of print]

 

EGCG enhances TRAIL-mediated apoptosis in human melanoma A375 cell line.

Shen Q, Tian F, Jiang P, Li Y, Zhang L, Lu J, Li J.

J Huazhong Univ Sci Technolog Med Sci. 2009 Dec;29(6):771-5. Epub 2009 Dec 29.

 

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate Increases Maximal Oxygen Uptake in Adult Humans.

Richards JC, Lonac MC, Johnson TK, Schweder MM, Bell C.

Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009 Nov 27. [Epub ahead of print]

 

J Biomed Biotechnol. 2009;2009:834239. Epub 2009 Aug 5.

50 Hz extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields enhance protein carbonyl groups content in cancer cells: effects on proteasomal systems.

Eleuteri AM, Amici M, Bonfili L, Cecarini V, Cuccioloni M, Grimaldi S, Giuliani L, Angeletti M, Fioretti E.

 

Parasitology. 2009 Dec 22:1-7. [Epub ahead of print]

Inhibitory effects of (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate from green tea on the growth of Babesia parasites.

Aboulaila M, Yokoyama N, Igarashi I.

 

J Biochem Mol Toxicol. 2009 Nov;23(6):387-93.

Preventive effect of (-)epigallocatechin gallate on lipids, lipoproteins, and enzymes of lipid metabolism in isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarction in rats. Devika PT, Stanely Mainzen Prince P.