Green tea tied to low risk of frailty, disability in the elderly

David Liu, PHD

Sunday Feb 5, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- Green tea offers lots of health benefits including anti-cancer and anti-obesity properties.  A new Japanese study reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition now says that elderly people who regularly drink green tea may be more agile and independent than their peers.

Green tea is popular in Japan where people live a few years longer than Americans.  It is believed that in addition to fish consumption, drinking green tea may be one of the reasons for their longevity. Rutgers University scientists early found that Epigallocatechin gallate EGCG can help prevent cancer because it promotes apoptosis, the programmed cell death that is lacking in cancer cells.

The study followed 14,000 people aged 65 or older for three years and found those who drank highest amounts of green tea were at a lower risk of frailty and disability, which was defined as having problems with daily activities such as going to the store or doing house work or difficult with daily routines like dressing and bathing.  

Researchers found among the study participants, 13 percent drank less than 1 cup of green tea per day became functionally disabled, compared to just over 7 percent of those who drank at least five cups per day.  Food consumers should be aware that this is an association, but not a causal relation between drinking green tea and risk of frailty and disability.  It may be possible that those who drank lots of green tea lived a much healthy life, which overall had a greater health impact.

The authors acknowledged that green tea lovers generally used healthier diets including lots of fish, vegetables and fruit, did not smoke as much as those eating unhealthy diets. And those green tea drinkers were more likely to have fewer heart attacks and strokes, and better mental sharpness.  In addition, they said green tea drinkers tended to be more social active and have more friends and family to count on.

Anyway, green tea contains antioxidants such as Epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG, the major polyphenol in the healthy beverage (please note that studies show the prepared green tea sold on the market has little to none of this compound and all food consumers get is some tea flavor). 

The Japanese researchers at Yasutake Tomata of Tohoku University said that EGCG can ward off the body-cell damage that can promote aging leading to deterioration of certain bodily functions.

Green tea has been associated with lower risk of colorectal cancer, breast cancer, thyroid cancer, lung cancer, blood cancer, prostate cancer, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, brain cancer, stomach cancer, high cholesterol, brain diseases, dementia like Alzheimer's disease, heart disease and stroke, glaucoma, and hepatic fibrosis, 

Green tea can also boost immunity, help weight loss, and genital and perianal warts among other things.