10-24-2008, 11:58 AM
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Lecturer
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Propecia, CA
Posts: 1,852
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Green Tea Extract vs. Autoimmune Diseases
Quote:
October 24, 2008
Green tea compound delays type 1 diabetes in mouse study
Researchers at the Medical College of Georgia have discovered that epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), an active component of green tea, delays the onset of type 1 diabetes in mice.
In a study published in the October 24, 2008 issue of Life Sciences, molecular biologist Stephen Hsu and colleagues tested the effects of EGCG on mice bred to develop Sjogren's syndrome as well as type 1 diabetes. Sjogren's syndrome develops when the salivary glands are attacked by the body's immune system, and type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas is similarly assaulted. The animals received drinking water enhanced with 0.2 percent EGCG or plain drinking water. Salivary gland tissue and serum samples were collected for analysis when the animals reached the ages of 8, 16 and 22 weeks.
EGCG was found to delay the onset and reduce the severity of Sjogren's syndrome. It also dramatically delayed the onset of type 1 diabetes. At 16 weeks of age, mice that received EGCG were 6.1 times likelier to be free of the disease than mice that did not received the compound. At 22 weeks, treated animals were still 4.2 times likelier to be diabetes-free.
"EGCG modulates several important genes, so it suppresses the abnormality at the molecular level in the salivary gland. It also significantly lowered the serum autoantibodies, reducing the severity of Sjogren's syndrome-like symptoms," Dr Hsu stated. "Our study focused on Sjogren's syndrome, so learning that EGCG also can prevent and delay insulin-dependent type 1 diabetes was a big surprise."
"The benefit of using green tea in preventing or slowing these autoimmune diseases is that it's natural and not known to harm the body," added lead author Kevin Gillespie. "EGCG doesn't have the negative side-effects that can be associated with steroids or other medications that could otherwise be prescribed."
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https://www.lef.org/whatshot/2008_10....es-mouse-study
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