Green tea helps immunity
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By David Liu, Ph.D. and editing by Elizabeth Hutchinson
Friday June 3, 2011 (foodconsumer.org) -- A new study led by researchers at Oregon State University suggests that drinking green tea may boost immunity against infections and autoimmunity.
C.P. Wang and colleagues tested a major component of green tea called Epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG in vitro and found that it can inhibit DNA methyltransferase, an act that boosts production of Foxp3.
Foxp3 is a transcription factor that controls the development of function of Regulatory T cells or Treg, which is important in maintaining normal immunity and the suppression of autoimmunity.
The researchers also conducted in vivo tests in mice and found that EGCG were able to increase levels of Foxp3 and Treg and decrease the concentration of DNA methyltransferase and the frequency of DNA methylation.
Wong et al. suggested that green tea or EGCG supplements may be enlisted to help maintain normal immunity without exposing subjects to high toxicity which would otherwise be induced by pharmacologic agents like 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine.
The study was reported in the May 20, 2011 issue of Immunology Letter.
Another study published in the No. 2, 2011 issue of Journal of Traditional Medicines suggests that green tea or green tea popyphenols can help fight viruses like the herpes simplex virus.
Japanese scientists, including Tohru Daikoku from the University of Toyama Department of Virology and colleagues, found that green tea polyphenols including catechin administered intraperitoneally prior to exposure to a herpes simplex virus helped delay the development of herpetic skin lesions.
On the other hand, green tea polyphenols did not show any significant therapeutical effect against influenza virus in vivo, although some effect was observed in vitro.
Rutgers University researchers have demonstrated that EGCG helps kill cancer cells by promoting apoptosis, programmed cell deaths, a normal process that is missing in cancerous cells.
Furthermore, epidemiological studies have suggested that drinking green tea may help reduce the risk for breast cancer, prostate cancer, and thyroid cancer.
Photo credit: AICR.org
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