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New Evidence That Green Tea
May Help Improve Bone Health
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Researchers in Hong Kong are reporting new evidence that
Green
Tea , one of the most popular beverages consumed
worldwide and now
available as a dietary supplement, may
help improve bone health. They
found that the tea contains
a group of chemicals that can stimulate
bone formation and
help slow its breakdown.
The
beverage has the potential to help in the prevention and treatment
of
osteoporosis and other bone diseases that affect million worldwide,
the
researchers suggest.
In the new study, the research team note
that many scientific studies
have linked tea to beneficial effects in
preventing cancer, heart disease,
and other conditions. Recent studies
in humans and cell cultures suggest
that tea may also benefit bone
health. But few scientific studies have explored
the exact chemicals in
tea that might be responsible for this effect.
The scientists
exposed a group of cultured bone-forming cells (osteoblasts)
to three
major green tea components: epigallocatechin (EGC), gallocatechin
(GC),
and gallocatechin gallate (GCG) for several days. They found that one
in particular, EGC, boosted the activity of a key enzyme that promotes
bone
growth by up to 79 percent. EGC also significantly boosted levels
of bone
mineralization in the cells, which strengthens bones. The
scientists also
showed that high concentrations of ECG blocked the
activity of a type of cell
(osteoclast) that breaks down or weakens
bones. The Green Tea components
did not cause any toxic effects to the
bone cells, they reported.
Journal Reference:
Effects of Tea Catechins, Epigallocatechin, Gallocatechin, and
Gallocatechin Gallate, on Bone Metabolism.
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2009;
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