Green Tea Can Fight Eye Disease
February 22, 2010
Tea News
By Philip Hogan
Substances found in green tea could help fight eye disease, according to authors of the latest research from the University of Hong Kong.
Scientists from the department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Hong Kong have confirmed that substances found in green tea do penetrate into the tissues of the eye, a fact previously unknown as scientists were unsure if catechins, which are antioxidants thought to protect the body against damage from oxygen, could make their way from the mouth to the gastrointestinal system to the eyes.
The article, which is featured in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, is the first of its kind to document how the lens, retina and other tissues within the eyes absorb beneficial substances such as catechins. The research within the study raises the possibility that among green tea’s long list of already documented health benefits that it might also help to protect against common eye diseases such as glaucoma.
Catechins contained within green tea, as well as other antioxidants such as vitamin C and E, lutein and zeaxanthin have long been linked with having the capability of protecting the eye from disease, but lack of research has, until now, left this thought unproven.
The study was conducted using laboratory rats that were fed green tea over a period of time. Subsequent dissection and analysis of the rats’ eye tissue showed significant absorption of individual catechins into various structures of the eye. The retina was seen to absorb the highest levels of gallocatechin, with the aqueous humor absorbing epigallocatechin.
The authors of the research stated that their ‘results indicate that green tea consumption could benefit the eye against oxidative stress’. The effect of the green tea catechins on the laboratory rats was a reduction in harmful oxidative stress in the eye, which lasted up to twenty hours.
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Green Tea and Eye Disease
February 22, 2010
The Money Times
By Natalie James
Green tea has shown several health benefits in previous researches, such as fighting heart disease and cancer. Now a new study adds one more to them- Protection against eye diseases. Adding to the surging list of health benefits related to green tea, a new research has shown that the tea may protect against glaucoma and other eye diseases, thanks to its high concentration of disease-fighting antioxidants called catechins, the antioxidants thought to protect the body against damage from oxygen.
Glaucoma is a disease of the eye in which damage is caused by elevated pressure within the eye. The disease leads to damage to the optic nerve and gradual loss of eyesight.
Green tea, the hot favorite in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and Middle East, have been labeled as a health drink, reducing illnesses and assuring a healthy life.
Green tea and eye disease
Now, researchers of the latest research from the University of Hong Kong suggest that drinking green tea often may help protect against common eye diseases like glaucoma as it contains healthful substances which helps to penetrate health tissues.
Scientists from the department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Hong Kong believe healthful substances found in green tea are capable of protecting the eye.
Antioxidants in green tea
According to them, the substances, known as “catechins,” can penetrate into the tissues of the eye, and have antioxidant activity there. These catechins are absorbed by the lens, retina and other parts of the eye and reduce oxidative stress in the eye.
Researcher Kai On Chu of the department of ophthalmology and visual sciences at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and colleagues say that their findings suggest that catechins have protective qualities against the oxidation that causes various eye diseases.
The study authors say that catechins are among a number of antioxidants, including vitamin C, vitamin E, lutein, and zeaxanthin, thought to help protect the delicate tissues of the eye from glaucoma and other eye ailments.
Catechins beat harmful oxidative stress
On Chu said their study conducted on laboratory rats is the first to show that catechins pass from the gastrointestinal tract and the stomach into the eyes tissue.
In their animal model study, On Chu and colleagues fed laboratory rats green tea extract and then tested their eye tissues to see if catechins affected them.
They found the green tea compounds, after reaching the eye tissues, did reduce harmful oxidative stress in the eyes for up to 20 hours.
The scientists’ team concludes that “Our results indicate that green tea consumption could benefit the eye against oxidative stress”.
The authors of the study reported benefits of green tea in ACS’s bi-weekly Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
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Curing Blindness With Marigolds
December 14, 2009
Telegraph.co.uk
By Murray Wardrop
Harry Marsland feared he would lose his sight completely after developing dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) – a condition responsible for half of all cases of blindness in this country.
AMD had claimed the sight in his right eye and the 73-year-old’s vision had become so bad that he could not get around without the help of his wife. He was even considering learning Braille, fearing that his left eye would follow the same fate.
However, after trying various treatments to no avail, Mr Marsland finally decided to experiment taking a vitamin supplement containing extracts from the orange flowers.
Within months of taking the taking the capsules, which are not available on the NHS, he regained vision in his left eye.
Mr Marsland, from Oundle, Northants, said: “I now know, professionally, that I have recovered almost completely from the effects of the dry AMD in my left eye. I am the first person to have such good fortune.
“I have recovered 95 per cent of the sight in my left eye which is miraculous, considering that at one point I was literally blind in the dark.”
The improvement in his sight has allowed Mr Marsland to drive a car again and enjoy reading without the aid of a magnifying glass.
He lost vision in his right eye in 2001 to wet AMD, a more severe form of the condition, and since then also began suffering problems with his left eye.
Mr Marsland had tried an experimental laser treatment – photo dynamic therapy – and various vitamin preparations – including Visionace, Vita-Lux plus, I. Caps and PreserVision, without success.
But in 2007, his ophthalmologist handed him a leaflet he had picked up at a conference, extolling the benefits of a supplement containing marigolds – called Macushield.
He decided to try it, spending £150 on a year’s supply and was shocked by its effectiveness.
Mr Marsland said he believes it could offer hope to millions of AMD sufferers.
He added: “I decided to this off my own back. I treated myself, which is the very thing you’re not supposed to do in any profession.
“As a retired professional, I feel a responsibility to get this message across to as many people as possible.”
Macushield contains lutein, found in spinach, and zeaxanthin, the yellow pigment found in corn – both of which are used in other treatments. It also contains meso-zeaxanthin, derived from marigolds, which was a nutrient Mr Marsland had not tried before.
Dry age-related macular degeneration happens when light-sensitive cells in the macula slowly break down and sufferers experience a gradual loss of central vision and a fading of colours. It is the most common cause of blindness in the over-60s.
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Color My World – Phytochemicals in Fruits Good for You
November 06, 2009
Natural News
By S. L. Baker
Phenolics. Flavonoids. Carotenoids. Quercetin. Phloridzin. What do these scientific names have in common? They are all types of phytonutrients, also called phytochemicals, found in fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, and teas. And they may decrease the risk of not only minor illnesses like colds but also many of the major killers on the planet — including cancer and heart disease. Scientists have only identified a few of the suspected vast number of these natural compounds in foods that protect and build health. But two facts are clear. First, most Americans don’t get enough phytonutrients in their daily diet for optimum health and, second, there’s an easy strategy to boost your phytonutrient intake — simply eat a mix of more naturally colorful foods.
The recently released Phytonutrient Report, sponsored by the supplement company Nutrilite, used National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) and USDA data to analyze what people in the U.S. typically eat each day. Because the same compounds that give plant foods various colors are related to phytonutrient content, the report divided consumption into five categories of colors — green, red, blue/purple, yellow/orange and white.
For example, the phytonutrients, isothiocyanate, lutein and isoflavones are known to be abundant in green foods such as spinach and broccoli and lycopene and ellagic acid are found in red fruits and vegetables like watermelon and tomatoes. White plant foods like onions and garlic are rich in allicin and quercetin. Anthocyanidins and resveratrol are found in purple and blue foods like grapes and blueberries while alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, hesperitin and beta-cryptoxanthin are most often in yellow/orange foods such as carrots and oranges.
The Phytonutrient Report concludes there is a phytonutrient gap in every color classification. Specifically, 88% of Americans are eating too few foods in the blue/purple category, 79% are missing out on an adequate intake of yellow and orange foods, and 78% don’t have enough red veggies and fruits in their diets. In addition, 69% lack enough daily green plant foods and 86% lack enough white plant foods.
