Green tea, green tea extract prevent fructose induced renal damage

Sunday Feb 6, 2018 (foodconsumer.org) -- High intake of fructose, a simple sweeter that is found in sucrose and high fructose corn syrup, has been found to increase risk of obesity, cancer and chronic kidney disease among other things.

A new study published in Free Radical Biology and Medicine suggests that drinking tea or taking green tea extract supplements, which contain high amounts of (-)-epicatechin, can prevent or ameliorate the renal damage inducated by fructose.

For the study, Male Sprague Dawley rats were let to drink water with 10% (w/v) fructose for eight weeks with or without epicatechin supplemented in their diets in a dose of 20 mg per kg of body weight per day.

As a result, rats that drank fructose-containing water, but ate the diet without epicatechin supplemented developed mild proteinuria and fibrosis in the renal cortex from the animals.  

Fructose consumption also resulted in decreased in certain biomarkers associated with increased oxidative stress, modified NO bioavailability, and a proinflammatory condition in animals that at ethe diet without epicatechin supplemented. 

However, animals that ate the diet supplemented with epicatechin did not experience or reduced adverse effects induced by high fructose consumption.

The study implies that epicatechin supplements such as green tea extract can help prevent or lower the fructose-induced damage to the kidneys in individuals who eat foods or drink beverages with high fructose. (David Liu)

Paula D. Princea, Cecilia Rodríguez Lanzib, Jorge E. Tobllic, Rosana Elesgarayd, Patricia I. Oteizae, f, César G. Fragaa, e, Monica Galleanoa, Dietary (–)-epicatechin mitigates oxidative stress, NO metabolism alterations, and inflammation in renal cortex from fructose-fed rats, Free Radical Biology and Medicine, Volume 90, January 2016, Pages 35–46