Research in people with a range of heart disease risk factors has shown that consuming green tea extract for four weeks can lower blood sugar levels and improve gut health by decreasing inflammation and reducing "gut permeable".
"There is a lot of evidence that greater consumption of green tea is associated with good levels of cholesterol, glucose and triglycerides, but no study has linked its benefits in the intestine with these health factors," says Richard Bruno, lead author of the study and professor of human nutrition at Ohio State University (United States).
"This absorption of products derived from the intestine is believed to be a factor initiating obesity and insulin resistance, which are fundamental to all cardiometabolic disorders. If we can improve the integrity of the intestine and reduce intestinal leaks, the idea is that we will be able to not only alleviate the low-grade inflammation that initiates cardiometabolic disorders, but potentially reverse them.
Green tea is a widely used drink with healthy effects on several diseases, including cancer. The bioactive compounds in green tea are mainly catechins, and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is the most abundant and biologically active among them. In this review, we present evidence for the modulation of autophagy and anticancer effects induced by EGCG treatment in experimental cancer models. The reviewed articles reveal that EGCG promotes cytotoxic autophagy often by inactivating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, resulting in the induction of apoptosis.
The selected studies rightly claim that EGCG is a valuable agent in cancer chemoprevention. There is increasing evidence showing that many flavonoid-rich fruits, teas or herbs contain molecules that express anti-cancer properties by regulating cell fate through autophagy and apoptosis. Among them, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), from green tea extract, has been in the spotlight for years, and its potential as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer agent has been widely described. In preclinical studies involving different tumor cell lines, a wide range of molecular mechanisms have been attributed to EGCG, affecting cell proliferation, apoptosis, and autophagy pathways. The polyphenol fraction can represent up to 40% of the dry mass of fresh leaves. Together with methylxanthines, L-theanine, tannins, gallic acid and vitamins, phenolic compounds constitute a set of bioactive molecules with a potential impact on humans. Among these bioactive compounds, flavonoids represent the most frequent component, mainly due to the content of catechins. Epigallocatechin gallic acid ester is definitely the main component of green tea catechins. In fact, it represents between 50% and 80% of total catechins. These compounds are considered responsible for several health-promoting properties of green tea. These health effects range from antioxidant/prooxidant, antineurodegenerative, antimicrobial, and antidiabetic activity to anticancer activity. Additionally, synergistic anticancer effects should be considered when green tea catechins are combined with other natural compounds rich in antioxidants.
Research in people with a range of heart disease risk factors has shown that consuming green tea extract for four weeks can lower blood sugar levels and improve gut health by decreasing inflammation and reducing "gut permeable".
"There is a lot of evidence that greater consumption of green tea is associated with good levels of cholesterol, glucose and triglycerides, but no study has linked its benefits in the intestine with these health factors," says Richard Bruno, lead author of the study and professor of human nutrition at Ohio State University (United States).
"This absorption of products derived from the intestine is believed to be a factor initiating obesity and insulin resistance, which are fundamental to all cardiometabolic disorders. If we can improve the integrity of the intestine and reduce intestinal leaks, the idea is that we will be able to not only alleviate the low-grade inflammation that initiates cardiometabolic disorders, but potentially reverse them.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/07/220726132640.htm (2022).---
https://academic.oup.com/cdn/article/6/Supplement_1/981/6606956 (2022).----
https://apcz.umk.pl/JEHS/article/view/45192 (2023)
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.1201/9781003369813-4/flavonoids-cardiovascular-diseases-lovlish-gupta-monika-chauhan-ajay-kumar-diwakar-chauhan-pragati-saini (2024)
Green tea is a widely used drink with healthy effects on several diseases, including cancer. The bioactive compounds in green tea are mainly catechins, and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is the most abundant and biologically active among them. In this review, we present evidence for the modulation of autophagy and anticancer effects induced by EGCG treatment in experimental cancer models. The reviewed articles reveal that EGCG promotes cytotoxic autophagy often by inactivating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, resulting in the induction of apoptosis.
The selected studies rightly claim that EGCG is a valuable agent in cancer chemoprevention. There is increasing evidence showing that many flavonoid-rich fruits, teas or herbs contain molecules that express anti-cancer properties by regulating cell fate through autophagy and apoptosis. Among them, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), from green tea extract, has been in the spotlight for years, and its potential as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer agent has been widely described. In preclinical studies involving different tumor cell lines, a wide range of molecular mechanisms have been attributed to EGCG, affecting cell proliferation, apoptosis, and autophagy pathways. The polyphenol fraction can represent up to 40% of the dry mass of fresh leaves. Together with methylxanthines, L-theanine, tannins, gallic acid and vitamins, phenolic compounds constitute a set of bioactive molecules with a potential impact on humans. Among these bioactive compounds, flavonoids represent the most frequent component, mainly due to the content of catechins. Epigallocatechin gallic acid ester is definitely the main component of green tea catechins. In fact, it represents between 50% and 80% of total catechins. These compounds are considered responsible for several health-promoting properties of green tea. These health effects range from antioxidant/prooxidant, antineurodegenerative, antimicrobial, and antidiabetic activity to anticancer activity. Additionally, synergistic anticancer effects should be considered when green tea catechins are combined with other natural compounds rich in antioxidants.
https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/11/6075 (2022).----
https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/28/5/2151 (2023)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1756464623005777 (2024)